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"CLOSE  IN  ON  ALL  SIDES   AND   KEEP  THEM  WELL  COVERED. 
BOYS!"  SAID  THAD.      Page  SO 

The  Boy  Scouts  Along  the  Susquehanna. 


The  Boy  Scouts 


OR 

The  Silver  Fox  Patrol  Caught  in  a  Flood 

By  HERBERT  CARTER 

AUTHOR  OF 

"The  Boy  Scouts'  First  Campfire."      "The  Boy  Scouts 
In  the  Blue  Ridge."     "The  Boy  Scouts  On  the 
Trail."     "The  Boy  Scouts  In  the  Maine 
Woods."     "The  Boy   Scouts 
Through  the  Big  Timber." 

"The  Boy  Scouts  In  AP£ 

the  Rockies," 
Etc.     Etc. 


Copyright,  1915 
BY  A.  L.  BORT  COMPANY 


BOY  SCOUTS  ALONft  THE  SUSQUEHANNA 


5125911 

THE  BOY  SCOUTS  ALONG  THE 
SUSQUEHANNA. 


CHAPTER    I. 

THE   TRAMP    CHASE. 

"I'M  no  weather  sharp,  boys;  but  all  the  same 
I  want  to  remark  that  it's  going  to  rain  like  cats 
and  dogs  before  a  great  while.  Put  a  pin  in  that 
to  remember  it,  will  you?" 

"What  makes  you  say  so,  Davy?" 

"Yes,  just  when  we're  getting  along  splendidly, 
with  the  old  Susquehanna  not  a  great  ways  off, 
you  have  to  go  and  put  a  damper  on  everything. 
Tell  us  how  you  know  all  that,  won't  you,  Davy 
Jones?" 

"Sure  I  will,  Giraffe,  with  the  greatest  of  pleas- 
ure, while  we're  sitting  here  on  this  log,  resting 
up.  In  the  first  place  just  notice  how  gray  the 
sky's  gotten  since  we  had  that  snack  at  the  farm 
house  about  noon!" 

"Oh !  shucks !  that's  no  positive  sign ;  it  often 
clouds  up,  and  never  a  drop  falls." 

"There's  going  to  be  quite  some  drops  come 
this  time,  and  don't  you  forget  it,  Step  Hen. 
Why,  can't  you  feel  the  dampness  in  the  air?" 

"That  brings  it  a  little  closer  home,  Davy;  any 
3 


4  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

more  reasons?"  demanded  the  boy  answering  to 
the  singular  name  of  "Step  Hen,"  but  who,  under 
other  conditions,  would  have  come  just  as  quickly 
if  someone  had  shouted  "Steve!" 

"Well,  I  was  smart  enough  to  look  up  the 
weather  predictions  before  we  left  Cranford  yes- 
terday," replied  the  active  boy  whom  they  called 
Davy,  as  he  laughed  softly  to  himself;  "and  they 
said  heavy  rains  coming  all  along  the  line  from 
out  West;  and  that  they  ought  to  hit  us  here  by 
to-night,  unless  held  up  on  the  road." 

"Wheel  is  that  so?  I  guess  you've  made  out 
your  case,  then,  Davy,"  admitted  the  boy  called 
"Giraffe,"  possibly  on  account  of  bis  unusually 
long  neck,  which  he  had  a  habit  of  stretching  on 
occasion  to  abnormal  dimensions. 

"Mebbe  Thad  knew  about  what  was  in  the  air 
when  he  told  us  to  fetch  our  rubber  ponchos  along 
this  trip,"  suggested  Step  Hen,  whose  last  name 
was  Bingham. 

There  were  just  eight  boys  in  khaki  sprawled 
along  that  log  in  various  favorite  positions  sug- 
gestive of  comfort.  They  constituted  the  full  mem- 
bership of  the  Silver  Fox  Patrol  connected  with  the 
Cranford  Troop  of  Boy  Scouts,  and  the  one  desig- 
nated as  Thad  Brewster  had  been  the  leader  ever 
since  the  start  of  the  organization. 

Those  of  our  readers  who  have  been  fortunate 
enough  to  possess  any  of  the  previous  volumes  in 
this  Series  need  not  be  told  just  who  these  en- 
terprising lads  are;  but  for  the  purpose  of  intro- 
ducing them  to  newcomers,  a  few  words  may  be 
deemed  necessary  in  the  start. 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  5 

Besides  the  patrol  leader  there  were  Allan  Hoi- 
lister,  a  boy  whose  former  experiences  in  the  woods 
of  Maine  and  the  Adirondacks  made  him  an  au- 
thority on  subjects  connected  with  outdoor  life;  a 
Southern  boy,  Robert  Quail  White,  called  "Bob 
White"  by  all  his  chums;  Conrad  Stedman,  other- 
wise the  "Giraffe,"  previously  mentioned;  "Step 
Hen"  Bingham;  Davy  Jones,  an  uneasy  fellow, 
whose  great  specialty  seemed  to  lie  in  the  way  of 
wonderful  gymnastic  feats,  such  as  walking  on  his 
hands,  hanging  by  his  toes  from  a  lofty  limb,  and 
kindred  remarkable  reckless  habits ;  Cornelius  Haw- 
tree,  a  very  red- faced,  stout  youth,  with  fiery  hair 
and  a  mild  disposition,  and  known  as  "Bumpus" 
among  his  set ;  and  last  though  not  least  "Smithy," 
whose  real  name  was  Edmund  Maurice  Travers 
Smith,  and  who  had  never  fully  overcome  his 
dainty  habits  that  at  first  had  made  him  a  sub- 
ject of  ridicule  among  the  more  rough-and-ready 
members  of  the  Silver  Fox  Patrol. 

There  they  were,  as  active  a  lot  of  scouts  as 
could  have  been  found  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific.  They  had  been  through  considerable  in 
the  way  of  seeing  life;  and  yet  their  experiences 
had  not  spoiled  them  in  the  least. 

At  the  time  we  discover  them  seated  on  that 
big  log  they  were  a  good  many  miles  away  from 
their  home  town;  and  seemed  to  be  bent  upon 
some  object  that  might  make  their  Easter  holi- 
days a  season  to  be  long  remembered. 

When  Step  Hen  so  naively  hinted  that  the  pa- 
trol leader  may  have  suspected  a  spell  of  bad 
weather  was  due,  when  he  ordered  them  to  be  sure 


6  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

and  fetch  along  their  rubber  ponchos,  there  was  a 
craning  of  necks,  as  everybody  tried  to  set  eyes 
on  the  face  of  Thad.  Of  course  Giraffe  had  the 
advantage  here,  on  account  of  that  long  neck  of 
his,  which  he  often  thrust  out  something  after  the 
style  of  a  tortoise  when  the  land  seems  clear. 

"How  about  that,  Mr.  Scout  Master?"  asked 
Bumpus. 

Thad  Brewster  had  a  right  to  be  called  after 
that  fashion,  for  he  had  duly  qualified  for  the 
position,  and  received  his  commission  from  scout 
headquarters,  empowering  him  to  take  the  place 
of  the  regular  scout  master,  when  the  latter  could 
not  be  present.  As  Dr.  Philander  Hobbs,  the 
young  man  who  gave  of  his  time  and  energies  to 
help  the  cause  along,  found  himself  unable  to  ac- 
company the  scouts  on  many  of  their  outings,  the 
necessity  of  assuming  command  frequently  fell 
wholly  on  Thad,  who  had  always  acquitted  him- 
self very  well  indeed. 

Thad  laughed  as  he  noted  their  eagerness  to  hear 
his  admission. 

"I'll  have  to  own  up,  fellows,"  he  went  on  to 
say  frankly,  "that  I  did  read  the  paper,  just  as 
Davy  Jones  says  happened  with  him;  and  when  I 
saw  the  chances  there  were  of  a  storm  coming 
down  on  us,  I  made  up  my  mind  we  ought  to  go 
prepared.  But  even  if  we  didn't  have  a  rubber 
poncho  along  I  wouldn't  be  afraid  to  wager  we'd 
get  through  in  pretty  decent  shape." 

"That's  right,  Thad,"  commented  Giraffe;  "after 
scouts  have  gone  the  limit,  like  we  did  down  South 
last  winter,  when  the  schoolhouse  burned,  and  we 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  7 

had  a  fine  vacation  before  the  new  brick  one  was 
completed,  they  ought  to  be  able  to  buck  up  against 
nearly  anything,  and  come  out  of  the  big  end  of 
the  horn." 

"Horn!"  echoed  Bumpus,  involuntarily  letting 
his  hand  fall  upon  the  silver-plated  bugle  he  car- 
ried so  proudly,  and  the  possession  of  which  told 
that  he  must  be  the  bugler  of  the  troop — "Horn! 
that  reminds  me  I  haven't  had  a  chance  to  use 
my  dandy  instrument  only  at  reveille  and  taps  for 
quite  some  time  now." 

"Well,  don't  start  in  now,  Bumpus,  whatever 
you  do,"  remonstrated  Step  Hen.  "To  my  mind  a 
horn's  a  good  thing  only  on  certain  occasions. 
Now,  when  I'm  just  gettin'  the  best  sleep  after 
sun-up  it's  sure  a  shame  to  hear  you  tooting  away 
to  beat  the  band." 

"But  none  of  us  make  any  sort  of  a  row  when 
he  blows  the  assembly  at  meal  times,  I  notice," 
Smithy  remarked  sagely;  and  not  a  protest  was 
raised,  showing  that  in  this  particular  the  members 
of  the  patrol  were  unanimously  agreed. 

The  last  exploit  of  the  scouts  had  taken  them 
into  the  Far  South,  in  fact  among  the  lagoons 
and  swamps  of  Louisiana;  and  although  some 
months  had  since  passed,  it  would  seem  as  though 
the  events  of  that  thrilling  experience  were  still 
being  threshed  out  whenever  the  eight  boys  came 
together. 

Thad  was  an  orphan,  living  with  an  uncle,  a 
quaint  old  man  whom  everyone  knew  as  "Daddy." 
Acting  from  information  that  had  been  received  in 
a  round-about  way,  the  leader  of  the  scout  patrol 


8  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

had  organized  an  expedition  to  go  South  during 
the  unexpected  vacation,  to  look  for  a  certain  man 
who  had  once  worked  for  his  widowed  mother,  and 
was  suspected  of  having  been  concerned  in  the 
mysterious  disappearance  of  Thad's  little  sister, 
Pauline,  some  years  back. 

The  boys  had  carried  this  enterprise  through  to 
a  successful  termination;  and  after  meeting  with 
many  thrilling,  likewise  comical  adventures,  had 
actually  traced  this  man,  and  managed  to  recover 
the  child;  who  was  now  a  happy  inmate  of  the 
Brewster  home,  the  pride  of  old  Daddy's  heart. 

Judging  from  the  numerous  burdens  with  which 
the  eight  boys  were  weighted  down  it  would  seem 
that  they  must  be  in  heavy  marching  order,  after 
the  manner  of  troops  afield.  Each  fellow  carried 
a  blanket,  folded  so  as  to  hang  from  his  shoulder, 
and  with  the  two  ends  secured  under  the  other 
arm.  Besides,  he  had  a  haversack  that  looked  as 
though  it  might  contain  more  or  less  food  and  ex- 
tra clothing. 

Giraffe  also  sported  a  frying-pan  of  generous 
dimensions ;  another  scout  carried  a  coffee  pot ;  and 
doubtless  the  necessary  tin  cups,  knives,  forks,  plat- 
ters and  spoons  would  be  forthcoming  whenever 
needed. 

The  convenient  log  which  served  the  boys  as  a 
seat  lay  close  to  the  road  along  which  they  had 
been  tramping  for  hours  that  day,  making  inquiries 
whenever  a  chance  offered,  and  picking  up  clews 
after  the  fashion  of  real  scouts. 

As  the  reason  for  their  coming  to  this  part  of 
the  country  has  everything  to  do  with  our  story, 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  9 

it  had  better  be  explained  before  we  follow  Thad 
and  his  cnums  any  further  along  the  rather  muddy 
road  that  led  across  country  to  the  Susquehanna 
River. 

Just  a  couple  of  days  before  the  coming  of  the 
Easter  holidays  Thad  had  beeen  asked  over  the 
'phone  to  come  and  see  Judge  Whittaker,  one  of 
the  most  respected  citizens  of  Cranford.  Wonder- 
ing what  the  strange  request  could  mean,  the  pa- 
trol leader  had  immediately  complied,  after  school 
that  same  afternoon. 

He  heard  a  most  remarkable  thing,  and  one  that 
thrilled  his  nerves  as  they  had  not  been  stirred  for 
many  a  day.  The  Judge  first  of  all  told  him  that 
he  had  long  observed  the  doings  of  the  scouts  with 
growing  admiration,  and  finding  himself  in  need 
of  assistance  of  a  peculiar  order,  made  bold  to 
call  upon  Thad  to  help  him. 

Shorn  of  all  unnecessary  particulars,  it  would 
seem  that  the  Judge,  obeying  a  whim  which  he 
now  called  the  height  of  foolishness,  and  while 
waiting  for  a  new  safe  to  be  delivered  from  New 
York  to  take  the  place  of  the  one  that  had  to  be 
opened  by  an  expert  because  the  time-lock  had 
gone  wrong,  had  actually  sewed  a  very  valuable 
paper  in  the  red  lining  of  an  old  faded  blue  coat 
which  was  hanging  in  his  closet,  and  which  he  kept 
as  a  memento  of  the  time  his  only  son  served  in 
the  engineer  corps  of  the  army. 

It  seemed  that  as  the  Judge  had  married  again, 
his  wife  was  not  very  fond  of  seeing  that  old  blue 
army  overcoat  with  the  red  lining  hanging  around ; 
and  thinking  it  a  useless  ineumbrance,  she  had 


10  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

figured  that  it  would  be  doing  more  good  shielding 
some  poor  tramp  from  the  cold  than  just  tempting 
the  moths  in  that  closet. 

And  so  it  came  about  that  one  day,  upon  look- 
ing for  the  army  coat,  the  Judge  discovered  to  his 
utmost  dismay  that  it  could  not  be  found.  When 
he  asked  his  wife,  she  was  compelled  to  admit  that 
three  days  before,  after  pitying  a  shivering  hobo 
who  came  to  the  door  and  asked  for  food,  she  had 
obeyed  a  sudden  generous  instinct  and  given  him 
the  warm  if  faded  blue  overcoat. 

The  Judge  was  in  a  great  predicament  now. 
His  first  thought  was  to  start  out  in  search  of 
"Wandering  George"  himself,  and  buy  back  the 
coat,  which  the  hobo  could  not  imagine  would  be 
worth  more  than  a  dollar  or  so  at  the  most.  Then, 
when  he  remembered  his  rheumatism,  and  how  un- 
fitted for  such  a  chase  he  must  be,  the  Judge  gave 
this  plan  up. 

His  next  idea  was  to  send  to  the  city  and  have 
a  detective  put  on  the  track;  but  he  had  a  horror 
of  doing  this,  because  he  fancied  that  most  of 
these  professional  detectives  were  only  too  ready 
to  demand  blackmail  if  given  half  a  chance;  and 
there  was  something  about  that  paper  which  Judge 
Whittaker  did  not  want  known  in  a  public  way. 

And  just  about  that  time  he  happened  to  think 
of  Thad  and  his  scouts;  which  gave  him  an  in- 
spiration. He  felt  sure  they  would  be  able  to 
follow  the  hobo  who  wore  the  faded  army  over- 
coat, and  in  due  time  come  up  with  him.  Then 
Thad  was  to  offer  him  a  few  dollars  for  the  gar- 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  11 

ment,  using  his  discretion  so  that  the  suspicions  of 
the  tramp  might  not  be  aroused. 

It  promised  to  be  a  pretty  chase,  and  already 
they  had  been  on  the  road  for  the  better  part  of 
two  days,  here  and  there  learning  that  a  man  wear- 
ing such  a  coat  had  been  seen  to  pass  along.  Part 
of  the  time  they  had  tramped  the  ties  of  the  rail- 
road, but  latterly  the  chase  had  stuck  to  the  high- 
way. 

Now,  acting  on  the  suggestion  of  the  sorrowful 
Judge,  Thad  had  not  told  any  one  of  the  scouts, 
saving  his  close  chum  Allan,  what  the  real  reason 
of  the  hunt  for  the  lost  army  coat  meant.  The 
others  simply  fancied  that  Judge  Whittaker  valued 
the  old  garment  highly  because  his  only  son,  now 
in  Alaska,  had  worn  it  during  the  Spanish- Ameri- 
can war,  and  was  unwilling  to  have  it  come  to  such 
a  disgraceful  end.  All  they  thought  about  was  the 
fun  of  tracking  the  hobo  and  eventually  bringing 
back  the  old  engineeer  corps  overcoat  to  its  late 
owner.  That  was  glory  enough  for  Step  Hen, 
Giraffe,  Bumpus  and  the  rest.  It  afforded  them  a 
chance  to  get  in  the  open,  and  imagine  for  a  time 
at  least  that  they  were  outdoing  some  of  those 
dusky  warriors  who,  in  the  good  old  days  of 
"Leatherstocking"  and  others  of  Cooper's  char- 
acters, roamed  these  very  same  woods. 

"If  you  feel  rested  enough,  fellows,"  Thad  now 
told  them,  "perhaps  we'd  better  get  a  move  on 
again.  The  last  information  we  managed  to  pick 
up  told  us  this  Wandering  George,  as  he  likes  to 
call  himself,  can't  be  a  great  distance  ahead  of 
us  now.  In  fact,  I'm  in  hopes  that  we  may  run 


12  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

across  him  before  night  comes  and  forces  us  to 
go  into  camp  somewhere  along  the  river." 

Accordingly,  the  other  scouts  sprang  to  their 
feet,  everyone  trying  to  make  out  that  he  was  as 
"fresh  as  a  daisy,"  though  poor  fat  Bumpus  gave 
an  audible  groan  when  he  pried  himself  loose  from 
that  comfortable  log.  He  was  not  built  for  long 
hikes,  though  possessed  of  a  stubborn  nature  that 
made  it  hard  for  him  to  give  up  any  object  upon 
which  he  had  set  his  heart. 

"Yes,  we've  rested  long  enough,"  admitted  Gi- 
raffe, who,  being  tall  and  slim,  was  known  as  a 
fine  runner,  and  long  distance  pedestrian.  "Sorry 
to  say  there  won't  be  any  wagon  following  us  to 
pick  up  stragglers;  so  if  you  fall  down,  Bumpus, 
better  stop  at  the  first  farmhouse  you  strike,  and 
wait  till  we  come  back." 

This  little  slur  only  caused  the  fat  scout  to  look 
at  the  speaker  contemptuously;  but  from  an  un- 
expected quarter  help  came. 

"Huh!  you  certainly  do  like  to  rub  it  into  Bum- 
pus,  Giraffe,  because  he's  built  on  the  heavy  or- 
der," Step  Hen  went  on  to  say;  "but  go  slow,  my 
boy.  Don't  you  know  the  battle  isn't  always  to 
the  swift  or  the  strong?  Have  you  forgotten  all 
about  the  race  between  the  hare  and  the  tortoise; 
and  didn't  the  old  slow-moving  chap  come  in  ahead, 
after  all?  I've  known  Bumpus  to  beat  you  out  be- 
fore this.  You  may  have  to  use  a  crow-bar  to  get 
him  started  sometimes;  but  once  he  does  move  he 
don't  let  little  things  balk  him.  Besides,  it  ain't 
nice  of  you  nagging  him  because  he  happens  to 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  13 

weigh  twice  as  much  as  you  do.  Bumpus  is  all 
right!" 

"Thank  you,  Step  Hen;  I'll  remember  that,"  ob- 
served the  freckled- face  scout,  as  he  gave  his  de- 
fender an  appreciative  grin. 

Down  the  road  they  went,  straggling  along  with- 
out any  particular  order,  because  Thad  knew  from 
past  experiences  he  could  get  better  work  out  of 
his  followers  when  they  relaxed.  Still,  they  kept 
pretty  well  bunched,  for  whenever  the  conversation 
started  up  none  of  them  wished  to  lose  a  word  of 
what  was  said. 

On  the  previous  night  they  had  been  forced  to 
make  a  temporary  shelter  with  all  manner  of  fence 
rails,  boughs  from  trees,  and  such  brush  as  they 
could  find.  Having  their  blankets  along,  and  being 
cheered  with  a  camp  fire  during  the  night,  the  ex- 
perience had  been  rather  delightful  on  the  whole. 

These  energetic  boys  had  been  through  so  much 
during  the  time  they  belonged  to  the  Cranford 
Scouts  that  nothing  along  ordinary  lines  seemed 
to  daunt  them.  They  were  well  equipped  for  meet- 
ing and  overcoming  such  difficulties  as  might  arise 
to  confront  them  on  a  trip  like  the  present  one; 
in  fact,  they  took  keen  delight  in  matching  their 
wits  against  all  comers,  and  a  victory  only  served 
to  whet  their  appetite  for  more  problems  to  be 
solved  along  the  line  of  woodcraft  knowledge. 

For  something  like  half  an  hour  they  pushed 
steadily  along.  Bumpus,  in  order  to  positively  prove 
to  the  sneering  Giraffe  that  he  was  in  the  best  of 
condition,  had  actually  pushed  ahead  with  the  lead- 
ers. If  he  limped  occasionally  he  did  his  best  to 


14  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

conceal  the  fact  by  mumbling  something  about  the 
nuisance  of  stepping  on  pebbles  and  being  nearly 
thrown  off  his  balance;  a  ruse  that  caused  the  said 
wily  Giraffe  to  smile  broadly,  and  wink  toward 
Sten  Hen  knowingly. 

However,  this  disposition  of  their  forces  enabled 
Bumpus  to  make  a  discovery  of  apparently  vast 
importance,  which  he  suddenly  communicated  to 
the  rest  in  what  he  intended  to  be  a  stage  whisper : 

"Hey!  hold  on  here,  what's  this  I  see  ahead  of 
us,  boys?  Unless  my  eyes  have  gone  back  on  me, 
which  I  don't  believe  they  have,  there's  the  smoke 
of  a  fire  rising  over  yonder  alongside  the  road; 
and  Thad,  tell  me,  ain't  there  a  couple  of  trampy 
looking  fellows  sitting  on  stones  cooking  their 
grub?  Bully  for  us,  fellows,  I  wouldn't  be  sur- 
prised a  bit  now  if  we'd  gone  and  ketched  up  with 
our  quarry  right  here  and  now!" 

Every  scout  stared  as  Bumpus  was  saying  all 
of  this.  They  saw  that  smoke  was  undoubtedly 
rising  close  to  the  road,  showing  the  presence  of 
a  fire;  while  their  keen,  practiced  eyes,  used  to  ob- 
serving things  at  long  distances,  told  them  that 
in  all  probability  the  two  men  who  occupied  the 
roadside  camp  belonged  to  the  order  of  hoboes ;  for 
their  clothing  showed  signs  of  much  wear  and  tear, 
and  moreover  they  were  heating  their  coffee  in  old 
tomato  cans,  after  the  time-tried  custom  of  the 
tramp  tribe  the  country  over. 

Naturally,  under  the  circumstances,  this  discov- 
ery caused  their  hearts  to  beat  with  additional  ra- 
pidity as  they  contemplated  an  early  closing  of  their 
campaign. 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  15 


CHAPTER    II. 

SIGHING   FOR   TROUBLE. 

"WELL,  I'm  sorry,  that's  all!"  ejaculated  Step 
Hen. 

"What  at?"  demanded  Giraffe;  "we  ought  to  be 
puffed  up  with  pride  over  our  success,  and  here  you 
go  to  pulling  a  long  face.  What  ails  you,  Step 
Hen?" 

"It's  just  this  way,"  muttered  the  scout  ad- 
dressed disconsolately;  "we  never  did  run  across 
a  better  chance  to  have  a  great  time  than  when 
we  started  out  on  this  hobo  chase;  and  here  it's 
turned  out  too  easy  for  anything.  Shucks!  a  ten- 
derfoot might  have  followed  that  Wandering 
George  right  along  to  here;  and  now  all  we've 
got  to  do  is  to  surround  the  camp,  and  make  him 
fork  over  that  old  blue  coat  the  judge  loves  so 
well.  It's  a  shame,  that's  what!" 

"I  feel  something  the  same  way  you  do,  Step 
Hen,"  remarked  Allan;  "why,  I  figured  on  doing 
all  sorts  of  smart  stunts  while  we  were  on  this 
hike;  and  here,  before  a  chance  comes  along,  we 
corral  our  game !" 

"I'm  just  as  sorry  as  you,  suh,"  observed  the 
Southern  boy,  with  the  accent  that  stamped  him  a 
true  Dixie  lad;  "but  I  reckon  now  you  wouldn't 
have  Thad  tell  us  to  sheer  off,  and  give  the  hoboes 


16  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

a  chance  to  run  away,  just  to  let  us  keep  up  this 
chase.  We  promised  to  recover  that  old  army 
coat  for  the  judge,  and  for  one  I'd  be  ashamed  to 
look  him  in  the  face  again,  suh,  if  we  let  it  slip 
through  our  fingers  on  account  of  wanting  to 
lengthen  the  sport." 

"That's  the  right  sort  of  talk,  Bob  White,"  said 
Thad,  with  a  nod  of  his  head,  and  a  sparkle  in 
his  eyes.  "Much  as  we  all  like  the  sport  of  show- 
ing what  we  know  in  the  way  of  woodcraft,  duty 
comes  first.  And  we  couldn't  shirk  our  responsi- 
bility in  this  case  just  to  gratify  our  liking  for 
action." 

"What's  the  program,  then,  Thad?"  asked 
Smithy,  yawning  as  though  he  did  not  feel  quite 
as  much  interest  in  the  chase  as  some  of  the  others ; 
for  Smithy  of  late,  Thad  noticed  with  regret,  was 
apparently  losing  some  of  his  former  vigor,  and 
acting  as  though  ready  to  shirk  his  duty  when  it 
did  not  happen  to  appeal  to  him  very  strongly. 

"We  can  have  a  little  fun  out  of  the  thing  by 
planning  a  complete  surround,  can't  we,  Thad?" 
asked  Step  Hen  eagerly. 

"I  hope  you  say  yes  to  that,  Mr.  Scout  Master," 
added  Giraffe;  "because  it'll  be  apt  to  take  some 
of  the  sting  out,  after  having  our  game  come  to 
such  a  sudden  end." 

"I  was  going  to  say  something  along  those  lines, 
boys,  if  you  had  let  me,"  Thad  told  them.  "So 
far  the  tramps  have  given  no  sign  that  they  sus- 
pect our  being  here.  We'll  arrange  it  so  as  to 
surround  the  camp,  and  then  at  a  signal  from  me 
everybody  stand  up  and  show  themselves.  I'll 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  17 

arrange  k;  so  that  we'll  make  a  complete  circle 
around  the  fire,  and  to  do  that  we'll  move  in 
couples." 

He  immediately  paired  them  off,  and  each  de- 
tachment was  told  what  was  expected  of  it  in  mak- 
ing the  move  a  practical  success. 

Even  in  these  apparently  small  matters  Thad 
proved  himself  a  capable  commander,  for  he  picked 
out  the  most  able  to  undertake  the  difficult  part 
of  the  work,  while  to  Smithy  and  Bumpus  was 
delegated  the  easier  task  of  crawling  along  the 
side  of  the  road  until  they  found  shelter  close 
to  the  hoboes'  fire. 

Giraffe  and  Step  Hen  were  ordered  to  cross. 
to  the  other  side  of  the  road  and,  making  a  little 
detour,  came  up  from  the  north.  The  remaining 
four  scouts  branched  off  to  the  south,  and  it  was 
the  intention  of  Thad,  taking  Davy  Jones  along,  to 
continue  the  enveloping  movement  until  he  could 
approach  from  the  opposite  quarter,  which  would 
mean  along  the  road  in  the  other  direction. 

Meanwhile  Bob  White  and  Allan  would  be  tak- 
ing positions  to  the  south,  and  then  curbing  their 
impatience  until  Thad  had  signaled  and  learned 
that  all  of  them  were  in  place. 

This  was  a  most  interesting  piece  of  work  for 
the  boys.  They  delighted  in  just  such  practices, 
and  for  the  simple  reason  that  it  enabled  them  to 
bring  to  bear  on  the  matter  all  the  knowledge  they 
had  managed  to  accumulate  connected  with  the 
real  tactics  of  scouting,  as  practiced  by  hunters 
and  Indians,  as  well  as  the  advance  guard  of  an 
army  sent  out  to  "feel"  of  the  enemy's  lines. 


18  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

At  a  certain  point  Thad  gave  Allan  and  Bob 
White  the  sign  that  they  were  to  turn  to  one  side, 
and  begin  advancing  toward  the  smoke  again, 
while  he  and  Davy  would  keep  straight  on. 

They  did  not  have  to  creep  as  yet,  but  kept  bend- 
ing low,  in  order  to  render  the  risk  of  being  dis- 
covered as  small  as  possible.  Later  on,  however, 
as  they  headed  toward  the  hub  of  the  wheel,  which 
was  marked  by  the  cooking  fire,  Thad  and  his  com- 
panion did  not  hesitate  to  flatten  themselves  out 
on  occasion,  and  do  some  pretty  fine  wriggling  in 
passing  from  one  patch  of  leafless  bushes  to  an- 
other. 

Every  time  they  raised  their  heads  cautiously  to 
look,  Davy  would  give  one  of  his  little  chuckles, 
telling  that  the  situation  was  eminently  satisfac- 
tory, so  far  as  he  could  see. 

The  two  men  were  still  hovering  over  their  mis- 
erable little  fire,  which  was  such  a  poor  excuse  for 
a  cooking  blaze  that  any  practical  scout  must  curl 
his  lip  in  disdain,  knowing  how  easy  it  is  to  man- 
age so  as  to  have  red  coals,  instead  of  smoky  wood, 
when  doing  the  cooking. 

Davy  could  see  that  there  was  no  longer  the  first 
question  about  their  being  genuine  tramps.  A 
dozen  signs  pointed  to  this  fact;  and  he  found 
himself  wondering  which  of  the  pair  would  turn 
out  to  be  Wandering  George. 

He  did  not  see  the  faded  blue  army  coat  on 
either  of  them;  but  then  it  would  be  only  natural 
for  the  possessor  to  discard  this  extra  weight  when 
keeping  so  close  to  a  warm  blaze.  Doubtless,  the 
object  of  their  search  would  b/>  found  nearby,  used 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  19 

in  lieu  of  a  blanket,  to  cover  the  form  of  the  new 
owner  as  he  slept  in  the  open,  or  in  some  farmer's 
haystack. 

Several  of  the  scouts  carried  guns,  even  Bum- 
pus  having  so  burdened  himself  in  the  hope  that 
during  their  chase  after  the  lost  army  coat  they 
might  happen  to  run  across  some  game  worth  tak- 
ing, in  order  to  lend  additional  zest  to  the  outing. 

As  Thad  and  Davy  had  chosen  the  longest  task 
in  making  for  the  further  side  of  the  hobo  camp, 
they  could  take  it  for  granted  when  they  finally 
reached  the  position  the  scout  leader  had  in  his 
eye,  that  all  of  the  other  detachments  must  by  then 
have  arrived. 

To  test  this  Thad  gave  a  peculiar  little  sound 
that  was  as  near  like  the  bark  of  a  fox  as  possible. 
Every  member  of  the  patrol  had  in  times  past 
perfected  himself  in  making  just  that  sort  of  sound, 
and  of  course  they  would  immediately  recognize 
it  as  the  signal  of  the  scout  master,  desirous  of 
knowing  whether  all  of  them  had  gained  their  po- 
sitions. 

There  came  an  immediate  "ha!  ha!"  from  across 
the  road,  and  also  from  deeper  in  the  woods,  where 
Allan  and  Bob  White  were  lying;  but  none  from 
Bumpus  and  Smithy.  Evidently,  something  had 
happened  to  cause  a  delay  there.  Thinking  they 
had  what  they  might  call  a  "snap,"  the  two  slow 
moving  scouts  covering  this  quarter  had  delayed 
their  advance  too  long,  and  were  now  holding 
back. 

As  the  tramps,  however,  had  heard  those  strange 
barking  sounds  coming  from  three  quarters,  and 


20  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

jumped  to  their  feet  in  alarm,  Thad  did  not  con- 
sider it  wise  to  delay  the  exposure  of  their  pres- 
ence any  longer.  Accordingly,  he  gave  a  shrill 
whistle  that  was  well  known  to  the  others. 

Imagine  the  consternation  of  the  hobo  campers 
when  from  behind  concealing  bushes  they  saw  fig- 
ures in  khaki  rise  up,  some  of  them  bearing  threat- 
ening guns.  Even  Bumpus  and  Smithy  followed 
suit,  though  not  as  near  the  fire  as  the  rest. 

Perhaps  the  first  thought  of  the  alarmed  tramps 
was  that  they  were  surrounded  by  a  detachment 
of  the  militia,  for  the  sight  of  those  khaki  suits 
must  have  stunned  them.  Before  they  could  gather 
their  wits  together  to  think  of  resistance  Thad  was 
heard  to  call  out  with  military  precision: 

"Close  in  on  all  sides;  and  keep  them  well  cov- 
ered, boys!" 

At  that  those  who  carried  guns  made  out  to  aim 
them,  and  their  manner  was  so  threatening  that 
both  hoboes  immediately  elevated  their  hands,  as 
though  desirous  of  letting  their  captors  see  that 
they  did  not  expect  to  offer  the  slightest  resistance 

Slowly  the  scouts  came  forward,  converging 
toward  the  common  center,  which  of  course  was 
the  smoky  fire,  alongside  of  which  those  two  old 
tomato  cans  stood,  each  secured  at  the  end  of  a 
bunch  of  metal  ribs  taken  from  a  cast-off  umbrella. 

That  successful  surround  would  have  made  a 
picture  worthy  of  being  framed  and  hung  upon 
the  wall  of  their  meeting  room  in  the  home  town, 
some  of  the  scouts  may  have  proudly  thought,  as 
they  walked  slowly  forward,  thrilled  with  the  con- 
sciousness of  power. 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  21 

The  tramps  kept  turning  around,  to  stare  first 
at  one  pair  of  boys  and  then  at  another  lot,  as 
though  hardly  knowing  whether  they  were  awake 
or  dreaming. 

If  they  had  guilty  consciences,  connected  with 
stolen  chickens,  or  other  farm  products,  they  must 
have  believed  that  the  strong  arm  of  the  law  had 
found  them  out,  and  that  the  next  thing  on  the 
program  would  be  their  being  marched  off  to  some 
country  town  lockup. 

"Aw!  it's  too,  too  easy,  that's  what!"  grumbled 
Step  Hen  disconsolately. 

"Like  taking  candy  from  the  baby!"  added  Gi- 
raffe, who  always  liked  to  have  some  spice  con- 
nected with  their  adventures,  and  could  not  bear 
the  idea  of  being  on  a  team  that  outclassed  its 
rival  in  every  department;  a  tough  struggle  was 
what  appealed  to  him  every  time,  though  of  course 
he  wanted  the  victory  to  eventually  settle  on  the 
banner  of  the  Silver  Fox  Patrol. 

"Makes  me  think  of  that  old  couplet  we  used 
to  say  about  old  Alexander,"  Bumpus  here  thought 
it  policy  to  remark,  just  to  show  them  that  he 
too  hoped  there  might  have  been  some  warm  action 
before  the  tramps  surrendered;  "let's  see,  how 
does  she  go?  'Alexander  with  ten  thousand  men, 
marched  up  the  Alps,  and  down  again !' ' 

"Mebbe  it  was  Hannibal  you're  thinking  about, 
Bumpus,"  suggested  Step  Hen;  "but  it  don't  matter 
much  who  did  it,  we've  gone  and  copied  after  him. 
I  say,  we  ought  to  go  home  by  a  roundabout 
course,  so  as  to  try  and  stir  things  up  some.  This 


22  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

is  sure  too  easy  a  job  for  scouts  that  have  been 
through  all  we  have." 

The  tramps  were  listening,  and  eagerly  drinking 
in  all  that  was  said;  perhaps  a  faint  hope  had  be- 
gun to  possess  them  that  after  all  things  might  not 
turn  out  to  be  quite  as  bad  as  first  appearances 
would  indicate. 

"Thad,  it's  up  to  you  to  claim  that  coat  now,  so 
we  can  evacuate  this  camp,"  observed  Smithy,  who 
was  observed  to  be  pinching  his  nose  with  thumb 
and  forefinger,  as  though  the  near  presence  of 
the  tattered  hoboes  offended  his  olfactory  nerves, 
for  as  has  been  said  before,  the  Smith  boy  had 
been  a  regular  dude  at  the  time  he  joined  the  pa- 
trol, and  even  at  this  late  day  the  old  trait  oc- 
casionally cropped  out. 

Thad  looked  around  at  his  comrades,  and  some- 
how when  they  saw  the  smile  on  his  face  a  feel- 
ing bordering  on  consternation  seized  hold  of  them. 

"What  is  it,  Thad?"  asked  Davy  Jones  solicit- 
ously. 

"Yes,  why  don't  you  tell  us  to  get  what  we  came 
after,  and  fly  the  coop?"  demanded  Giraffe,  who 
did  not  fancy  being  so  close  to  the  ill-favored 
tramps  much  more  than  the  elegant  Smithy  did. 

"There's  nothing  doing,  fellows,"  said  the  act- 
ing scout  master,  with  an  eloquent  shrug  of  his 
shoulders  that  carried  even  more  weight  than  hr 
words. 

"What!"  almost  shrieked  Step  Hen,  "do  you 
mean  to  tell  us  that  we're  on  the  wrong  trail,  and 
that  neither  of  these  gents  is  the  one  we  want, 
Wandering  George?" 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  23 

"That's  just  what  ails  us,"  admitted  Thad;  "we 
counted  our  chickens  before  they  were  hatched, 
that's  all.  Stop  and  remember  the  descriptions 
we've  had  of  this  Wandering  George,  and  you'll 
see  how  we've  been  barking  up  the  wrong  tree!" 

All  eyes  were  immediately  and  eagerly  focused 
on  the  faces  of  the  two  wondering  hoboes.  At 
the  same  time,  no  doubt,  there  was  passing  through 
each  boy's  mind  that  description  of  the  man  who 
had  gone  off  with  the  faded  army  overcoat,  and 
which  had  been  their  mainstay  in  the  way  of  a 
dew,  while  following  the  trail. 


24  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 


CHAPTER   III. 

WHEN    BUMPUS   CLIMBED   OVER   THE   FENCE. 

A  BRIEF  silence  followed  these  words  of  the  pa- 
trol leader.  Then  the  boys  were  seen  to  nod  theii 
heads  knowingly.  It  was  evident  that,  once  they 
had  their  suspicions  aroused  by  Thad,  every  fel- 
low could  see  what  a  dreadful  mistake  had  been 
made. 

"Well,  I  should  say  now  that  Wandering  George 
was  half  a  foot  taller'n  either  of  these  fellows!" 
declared  Bumpus,  being  the  first  to  control  his 
tongue,  which  was  something  remarkable,  since  as 
a  rule  he  was  as  slow  of  speech  as  he  was  with  re- 
gard to  moving,  on  account  of  his  weight. 

"And  had  red  hair  in  the  bargain!"  added  Step 
Hen. 

"Oh!  everybody's  doing  it  now,"  mocked  Davy 
Jones;  "and  I  can  see  that  there  ain't  the  first 
sign  of  an  old  faded  blue  army  overcoat  anywhere 
around  this  camp." 

"After  all,  who  cares?"  exclaimed  Giraffe,  as  he 
lowered  his  threatening  gun;  an  act  that  doubtless 
gave  the  two  tramps  much  solid  satisfaction.  "All 
of  us  felt  mean  and  sore  because  our  fine  tracking 
game  had  come  to  such  a  sudden  end.  Now  there's 
still  a  chance  we'll  meet  up  with  a  few  cracker- 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  25 

jack  adventures  before  we  pick  the  prize.  I  say 
bully  all  around!" 

Davy  Jones  immediately  threw  himself  into  an 
acrobatic  position,  and  waved  both  of  his  feet  wild- 
ly in  the  air,  as  though  he  felt  that  the  situation 
might  be  beyond  weak  words,  and  called  for  some- 
thing stronger  in  order  to  express  his  exuberant 
feelings. 

"Yes,  all  of  those  things  would  be  enough  to 
convince  us  we've  made  a  mistake,"  remarked 
Thad;  "and  if  we  want  any  further  proof  here  it 
is  right  before  us." 

He  pointed  to  the  ground  as  he  spoke.  There 
were  a  number  of  footprints  in  the  half  dried  mud 
close  to  the  border  of  the  road,  evidently  made 
by  the  two  men  as  they  walked  back  and  forth  col- 
lecting dead  wood  for  their  cooking  fire. 

"You're  right,  Thad,"  commented  Allan  Hoi- 
lister,  who  of  course  instantly  saw  what  the  other 
meant  when  he  pointed  in  that  way.  "We  set- 
tled it  long  ago  that  we  ought  to  know  Wandering 
George  any  time  we  came  up  with  him,  simply 
because  he's  got  a  rag  tied  around  his  right  shoe 
to  keep  it  on  his  foot,  it's  that  old,  and  going  to 
flinders.  Neither  of  these  men  has  need  to  do 
that;  in  fact,  if  you  notice,  they've  both  got  shoes 
on  that  look  nearly  new !" 

At  that  one  of  the  tramps  hastened  to  speak,  as 
though  he  began  to  fear  that  as  it  was  so  remark- 
able a  thing  for  a  road  roamer  to  be  wearing  good 
footgear,  they  were  liable  to  arrest  as  having  stolen 
the  same. 

"Say,  we  done  a  little  turn  for  a  cobbler  two 


26  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

days  back,  over  in  Hooptown,  an'  he  give  us  the 
shoes.  Said  he  fixed  'em  fur  customers  what  didn't 
ever  come  back  to  pay  the  charges;  didn't  we, 
Smikes?" 

"We  told  him  his  barn  was  on  fire,  sure  we  did, 
an'  helped  him  trow  water  on,  an'  keep  the  thing 
from  burnin'  down.  He  gives  us  a  hunky  din- 
ner, an'  trows  de  trilbies  in  fur  good  measure. 
But  dey  hurts  us  bad,  an'  we  was  jest  a-sayin'  we 
wishes  we  had  de  ole  uns  back  agin.  If  it  wa'n't 
so  cold  we'd  take  'em  off  right  now,  and  go  bare- 
footed, wouldn't  we,  Jake?" 

"Oh!  well,  it  doesn't  matter  to  us  where  you 
got  the  shoes,"  said  Thad.  "We  happen  to  be  look- 
ing for  another  man,  and  thought  one  of  you  might 
be  him.  So  go  on  with  your  cooking;  and,  Gi- 
raffe, where's  that  knuckle  of  ham  you  said  you 
hated  to  lug  any  further,  but  which  you  thought 
it  a  sin  to  throw  away?  Perhaps  we  might  hand 
the  same  over  to  Smikes  and  Jake,  to  pay  up  for 
having  given  them  such  a  bad  scare." 

This  caused  the  two  tramps  to  grin  in  anxious 
anticipation;  and  when  Giraffe  only  too  willingly 
extracted  the  said  remnant  of  a  half  ham  which 
the  scouts  had  started  with,  they  eagerly  seized 
upon  it. 

"It's  ail  right,  young  fellers,"  remarked  the  one 
who  had  been  called  Smikes,  as  he  clutched  the 
prize;  "we  ain't  a-carin'  if  we  gits  the  same  kind 
o'  a  skeer  'bout  once  a  day  reg'lar-like,  hey,  Jake? 
Talk  tuh  me  'bout  dinner  rainin'  down  frum  the 
clouds,  this  beats  my  time  holler.  Cum  agin,  boys, 
an'  do  it  sum  more." 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  27 

Thad  knew  it  was  folly  to  stay  any  longer  at 
the  camp,  but  before  leaving  he  wished  to  put  a 
question  to  the  men. 

"We're  looking  for  a  fellow  who  calls  himself 
Wandering  George,"  he  went  on  to  say.  "Just 
now  he's  wearing  an  old  faded  blue  army  over- 
coat that  was  given  to  him  by  a  lady  who  didn't 
know  that  her  husband  valued  it  as  a  keepsake. 
So  we  just  offered  to  find  it  for  him,  and  give 
George  a  dollar  or  so  to  make  up.  Have  either 
!>f  you  seen  a  man  wearing  a  blue  coat  like  that?" 

"Nixey,  mister,"  replied  Jake  promptly. 

"Say,  I  used  to  wear  a  blue  overcoat,  like  them, 
when  I  was  marchin'  fur  ole  Unc  Sam  in  the 
Spanish  war,  fool  thet  I  was;  but  honest  to  good- 
ness now  I  ain't  set  eyes  on  the  like  this  three  years 
an'  more,"  the  second  tramp  asserted. 

"That  settles  it,  then,  fellows!"  ejaculated  Step 
Hen,  with  a  note  of  joy  in  his  voice;  "we've  got 
to  go  on  further,  and  run  our  quarry  down.  And 
let  me  tell  you  I'm  tickled  nearly  to  death  because 
it's  turned  out  so." 

"WTio  be  you  boys,  anyhow?"  asked  Smikes. 
"Air  ye  what  we  hears  called  scouts?" 

"Just  what  we  are,"  replied  Allan.  "That's  why 
we  think  it's  so  much  fun  to  follow  this  Wander- 
ing George,  and  trade  him  a  big  silver  dollar  for 
the  old  coat  the  lady  gave  him  when  she  saw  he 
made  out  to  be  cold.  Scouts  are  crazy  to  do  all 
kinds  of  things  like  that,  you  know." 

"Well,  dew  tell,"  muttered  the  tramp,  shaking 
his  head;  "I  don't  git  on  ter  the  trick,  fur  a  fact. 


28  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

If  'twar  me  now,  I'd  rather  be  a-settin'  in  a  warm 
room  waitin'  tuh  hear  the  dinner  horn  blow." 

"Oh!  we  all  like  to  hear  that,  let  me  tell  you," 
asserted  Giraffe,  who  was  unusually  fond  of  eat- 
ing; "but  we  get  tired  of  home  cooking,  and  things 
taste  so  fine  when  you're  in  camp." 

"Huh!  mebbe  so,  when  yuh  got  plenty  o'  the 
right  kind  6'  stuff  along,"  observed  the  man  who 
gripped  the  ham  bone  that  Giraffe  had  tossed  him, 
"but  yuh'd  think  a  heap  different,  let  me  tell  yuh, 
if  ever  any  of  the  lot  knowed  wat  it  meant  tuh  be 
as  hungry  as  a  wolf,  and  nawthin'  tuh  satisfy  it 
with.  But  then  there  seems  tuh  be  all  kinds  o' 
people  in  this  ole  world;  an'  they  jest  kaint  under- 
stand each  other  noways." 

Thad  saw  that  the  tramp  was  rather  a  queer  cus- 
tomer, and  something  along  the  order  of  a  hobo 
philosopher;  but  he  had  no  more  time  just  then 
to  stand  and  talk  with  him  out  of  idle  curiosity. 

So  he  gave  the  order,  and  the  scouts,  wheeling 
around,  strode  out  upon  the  road,  their  faces  set 
toward  the  east.  The  last  they  saw  of  the  two 
tramps  was  just  before  turning  a  bend  in  the  road 
they  looked  back  and  saw  that  the  men  were  ap- 
parently hard  at  work  dividing  the  remnant  of 
the  ham  that  had  been  turned  over  by  the  boys 
as  some  sort  of  solace  to  soothe  their  wounded  feel- 
ings. 

Half  a  mile  further  on  and  the  woods  gave  place 
to  cultivated  fields  and  pastures,  although  of  course 
it  was  too  early  in  the  season  for  much  work  to 
be  done  by  the  farmers,  except  where  they  were 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  29 

hauling  fertilizer  to  make  ready  for  the  first 
plowing. 

"If  we  get  the  chance,  boys,  to-night,  let's  sleep 
in  a  barn,"  suggested  Giraffe,  as  he  rubbed  his  right 
shank  as  though  it  might  pain  him.  "Where  we 
lay  last  night  it  seemed  to  me  a  million  roots  and 
stones  kept  pushing  into  my  body  till  I  was  black 
and  blue  this  morning.  And  I  always  did  like 
to  nestle  down  in  good  sweet  hay.  I  don't  blame 
tramps  for  taking  the  chance  every  opportunity 
that  opens.  What  do  the  rest  of  you  say  to  that?" 

"It  strikes  me  favorably,"  Step  Hen  quickly  ad- 
mitted. 

"Oh!  any  old  place  is  good  enough  for  me," 
sighed  Bumpus. 

"If  you  can  only  be  sure  there  are  no  rats 
around,  I  believe  I'd  enjoy  sleeping  in  a  hay  mow," 
Davy  told  them. 

"I've  never  had  the  experience,"  remarked 
Smithy  with  a  shrug  of  his  shoulders,  and  a 
grimace ;  "and  I  must  confess  I  don't  hanker  much 
for  it.  Bad  enough  to  have  to  roll  up  in  your  own 
blanket  any  old  time;  but  spiders  and  hornets  and 
all  that  horrible  set  are  to  be  found  in  haylofts, 
they  tell  me.  I'm  more  afraid  of  them  than  an 
alligator  or  a  wild  bull.  A  gypsy  once  told  me  I 
would  die  from  poison  bites,  and  ever  since  I've 
had  to  be  mighty  careful." 

Of  course  the  rest  of  the  scouts  had  to  laugh 
to  hear  Smithy  confess  that  he  believed  in  the 
prophecy  of  a  gypsy,  or  any  other  fake  fortune- 
teller. 

"I  wouldn't  lie  awake  a  minute,"  ventured  Step 


30  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

Hen,  "if  a  dozen  gypsies  told  me  I  was  going  to 
break  my  neck  falling  out  of  bed.  Fact  is,  I'm 
built  so  contrary  that  like  as  not  I'd  hunt  up  the 
highest  bed  I  could  find  to  sleep  on.  I  do  every- 
thing on  Friday  I  can  think  of;  and  when  the 
thirteenth  of  the  month  comes  around  I'm  always 
looking  out  to  see  how  I  can  tempt  fate.  Ain't 
an  ounce  of  superstition  in  my  whole  body,  I  guess. 
Fortune-tellers!  Bah!  you  ought  to  have  been  a 
girl,  Smithy." 

"Oh!  well,  I  didn't  say  I  believed  I'd  die  by 
poison,  did  I?"  demanded  the  other  adroitly;  "I'm 
only  explaining  that  I  don't  mean  to  let  the  silly 
prophecy  come  true  by  taking  hazards  that  are  quite 
unnecessary." 

"Seems  to  me  we've  been  walking  like  hot  cakes 
ever  since  we  said  good-by  to  Smikes  and  Jake," 
observed  Bumpus,  who  was  puffing  a  little  from 
his  exertions;  "and  Thad,  would  you  mind  if  we 
took  a  little  breathing  spell  about  now?  Just  see 
how  inviting  this  pile  of  old  fence  rails  looks  along- 
side the  road.  I  hope  you  say  yes,  Thad,  because 
I  want  to  get  fit  to  keep  on  the  go  till  dark  comes 
along." 

"No  objections  to  favoring  you,  Bumpus,"  Thad 
told  him;  "and  if  looks  count  for  anything  I  rather 
think  all  the  rest  of  us  will  be  glad  of  a  chance  to 
rest  up  a  little.  So  drop  down,  and  take  things 
easy,  boys.  I'll  give  you  ten  minutes  here." 

"Look  sharp  before  you  sit  down!"  warned 
Smithy,  who  had  disengaged  his  blanket,  as  though 
meaning  to  use  it  for  a  soft  cushion — time  was 
when  he  invariably  brushed  a  board  or  other  in- 


31 

tended  resting-place  with  his  handkerchief  before 
sitting  down;  but  the  other  scouts  had  long  ago 
laughed  him  out  of  this  habit,  which  jarred  upon 
their  nerves  as  hardly  consistent  with  rough-and- 
ready  scout  life. 

Giraffe  had  a  most  remarkable  pair  of  eyes.  He 
often  discovered  things  that  no  one  else  had  any 
suspicion  existed.  On  this  account,  as  well  as  the 
fact  that  he  was  able  to  see  further  and  more 
accurately  than  his  chums,  he  was  sometimes  desig- 
nated as  "Old  Eagle  Eye,"  and  the  employment  of 
that  name  invariably  gave  him  more  or  less  pleas- 
ure, since  it  proclaimed  his  superiority  in  the  line 
of  observation. 

Giraffe  was  also  a  great  hand  for  practical 
jokes.  When  some  idea  flashed  into  his  mind  he 
often  gave  little  heed  to  the  possible  result,  but 
immediately  felt  impelled  to  put  his  scheme  into 
practice,  with  the  sole  idea  of  creating  a  laugh,  of 
course  with  another  scout  as  the  victim. 

They  had  hardly  been  sitting  there  five  minutes 
when  Giraffe  might  have  been  heard  chuckling 
softly  to  himself,  though  no  one  seemed  to  pay  any 
particular  attention  to  him. 

He  elevated  that  long  neck  of  his  once  or  twice 
as  if  desirous  of  making  sure  concerning  a  certain 
point  before  going  any  further.  Then,  when  satis- 
fied on  this  score,  he  glanced  from  one  to  another 
of  his  companions,  evidently  seeking  a  victim. 

When  his  gaze,  after  going  along  the  entire  line, 
returned  once  more  to  plump,  good-natured  Bum- 
pus,  who  had  now  ceased  puffing,  and  was  looking 
rested,  it  might  be  set  down  as  certain  that  there 


32  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

was  trouble  of  some  sort  in  store  for  the  red- 
haired,  freckle- faced  scout. 

Now  Giraffe  was  a  sharp  schemer.  He  knew 
how  to  go  about  his  business  in  a  way  least  cal- 
culated to  arouse  suspicion. 

Instead  of  immediately  blurting  out  what  he  had 
in  mind,  he  started  to  "beating  around  the  bush," 
seeking  to  first  disarm  his  intended  victim  by  draw- 
ing him  into  a  little  discussion. 

Before  another  full  minute  had  passed  Thad 
noticed  that  Giraffe  and  Bumpus  were  warmly  dis- 
cussing some  matter,  and  that  the  stout  scout 
seemed  to  be  unusually  in  earnest.  Doubtless,  this 
was  on  account  of  the  sly  assertions  which  Gi- 
raffe inflicted  upon  him,  the  tall  scout  being  a 
past  master  when  it  came  to  giving  little  digs  that 
hurt  worse  than  pins  thrust  into  one's  flesh. 

"I  tell  you  I  can  do  it!"  Bumpus  was  heard  to 
say  stubbornly. 

"Don't  believe  you'd  ever  come  within  a  mile 
of  making  it,  and  that  goes,  Bumpus."  Giraffe 
went  on  as  though  he  might  be  a  Doubting  Thomas 
who  could  only  be  convinced  by  actual  contact; 
"and  tell  you  what  I'll  do  to  prove  I'm  in  earnest. 
If  you  make  it  in  three  trials,  straddling  the  limb 
while  my  watch  is  counting  a  whole  minute,  I'll 
hand  over  that  fine  compass  you  always  liked  so 
much.  How's  that,  Bumpus ;  are  you  game  to  show 
us,  or  have  I  dared  you  to  a  standstill?" 

"What,  me  back  down  for  a  little  thing  like  that? 
Well,  you  just  watch  me  make  you  eat  your  words, 
Giraffe!" 

So  saying  the  fat  scout  clambered  up  over  the 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  33 

rail  fence,  and  dropped  in  the  open  pasture  be- 
yond. 

"What's  he  going  to  do?"  asked  Thad,  as  they 
saw  Bumpus  start  on  a  waddling  sort  of  gait 
toward  a  tree  that  stood  by  itself  some  little  dis- 
tance from  the  fence,  and  with  a  clump  of  bushes 
not  far  away. 

He  looked  a  little  suspiciously  at  Giraffe,  who 
immediately  stopped  his  chuckling,  and  tried  to 
draw  a  solemn  face,  though  he  shut  one  eye  in  a 
humorous  fashion. 

"Why,  he  started  to  boast  that  he  had  been  do- 
ing some  fine  climbing  lately,"  explained  the  tall 
scout;  "and  I  dared  him  to  go  over  and  get  up 
in  that  tree  while  I  held  the  watch  on  him.  He's 
got  to  start  climbing  and  make  it  inside  of  sixty 
seconds;  and  between  you  and  me,  Thad,  I  reckon 
now  he  might  manage  it  in  half  that  time — if  hard 
pushed." 

"You've  got  some  game  started,  Giraffe;  what 
is  it?"  asked  the  patrol  leader,  as  he  turned  again 
and  watched  the  portly  scout  moving  like  a  pon- 
derous machine  toward  the  tree  which  Giraffe  had 
mentioned  as  a  part  of  the  contract. 

Giraffe  did  not  need  to  answer,  for  at  that  very 
second  there  came  what  seemed  to  be  a  loud  bellow 
of  rage  from  over  in  the  field  somewhere.  Look- 
ing hastily  through  the  bars  of  the  fence,  the  seven 
boys  saw  a  spectacle  that  thrilled  them  with  vari- 
ous emotions. 

From  out  of  the  sheltering  bushes,  where  those 
keen  roving  eyes  of  Giraffe  must  have  discovered 
her  presence,  came  a  dun-colored  cow.  Possibly 


34  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

her  calf  had  recently  been  taken  from  her  by  the 
butcher,  for  she  was  furious  toward  all  human- 
kind. Her  tail  was  held  in  the  air,  and  as  she  ran 
straight  toward  poor  Bumpus  she  stopped  for  a 
moment  several  times  to  toss  a  cloud  of  earth  up 
with  her  hoofs,  for  she  had  no  horns,  Thad  noted, 
which  was  at  least  one  thing  favoring  Bumpus. 


35 


CHAPTER   IV. 

GIRAFFE  ADMITS  THAT  THE  SHOE  FITS. 

"LooK  out,  Bumpus!"  shrieked  Davy  Jones,  as 
though  instantly  realizing  what  a  perilous  position 
the  stout  scout  would  be  in  if  that  angry  cow 
succeeded  in  bowling  him  over  with  her  hornless 
head. 

"Run!  run,  Bumpus;  a  wild  bull  is  after  you!" 
shouted  Step  Hen,  who  may  have  really  believed 
what  he  was  saying  with  such  a  vim;  or  else  con- 
sidered that  by  magnifying  the  danger  he  might 
add  more  or  less  to  the  sprinting  ability  of  the 
said  Bumpus. 

There  was  really  little  need  to  send  all  these 
warnings  pealing  over  the  field,  because  Bumpus 
had  already  glimpsed  the  oncoming  enemy,  and 
was  in  full  flight. 

At  the  moment  of  discovery  he  chanced  to  be 
fully  two-thirds  of  the  way  over  to  the  tree  which 
had  been  the  special  object  of  his  attention.  It 
was  therefore  much  easier  for  him  to  reach  this 
haven  of  refuge  than  it  would  have  been  to  dash 
for  the  fence  with  any  hope  of  making  that  bar- 
rier. 

"Go  it,  Bumpus,  I'll  bet  on  you!"  howled  Gi- 
raffe, jumping  up  on  the  fence  in  his  great  ex- 


36  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

citement,  so  that  he  might  not  miss  seeing  any- 
thing of  the  amusing  affair. 

Now,  possibly,  the  angry  cow  that  had  been  be- 
reft of  her  beloved  calf  by  a  late  visit  of  the  butcher 
might  have  readily  overhauled  poor  Bumpus  had 
she  kept  straight  on  without  a  stop,  for  she  could 
cover  two  yards  to  his  one.  For  some  reason  which 
only  a  cow  or  bull  could  understand,  the  animal 
seemed  to  consider  it  absolutely  necessary  that  with 
every  few  paces  she  must  come  to  a  halt  and  paw 
the  ground  again,  sending  the  earth  flying  about 
her. 

That  gave  the  stout  runner  his  chance,  and  so 
he  succeeded  in  gaining  the  tree,  with  his  four- 
footed  enemy  still  a  little  distance  away. 

Bumpus  was  evidently  unnerved.  He  had  seen 
that  terrifying  spectacle  several  times  as  he  looked 
anxiously  over  his  fat  shoulder,  and  it  had  al- 
ways caused  him  to  put  on  an  additional  spurt. 

When  finally  he  banged  up  against  the  tree, 
having  of  course  stumbled  as  usual,  his  one  idea 
was  to  climb  with  lightning  speed.  His  agreement 
with  the  scheming  Giraffe  called  for  an  ascent  in 
sixty  seconds,  but  he  now  had  good  reason  for 
desiring  to  shorten  this  limit  exceedingly.  He 
doubtless  imagined  that  he  would  feel  the  crash 
of  that  butting  head  against  his  person  before  he 
had  ascended  five  feet,  and  this  completely  rattled 
him. 

Left  to  himself  and  possibly  he  could  have 
climbed  the  smooth  trunk  within  the  limit  of  time 
specified  in  his  arrangement  with  Giraffe;  but  such 


was  his  excitement  now  that  he  made  a  sorry  mess 
of  it. 

The  boys  were  shrieking  all  sorts  of  instructions 
to  him  to  "hurry  up,"  or  he  was  bound  to  become 
a  victim;  one  was  begging  him  with  tears  in  his 
eyes  to  "get  a  move  on  him !"  while  another  warned 
Bumpus  of  the  near  approach  of  the  oncoming  cow, 
and  also  the  fact  that  she  had  "fire  in  her  eyes!" 

Twice  did  the  scout  manage  to  get  part  way  up, 
when  in  his  tremendous  excitement  he  lost  his  grip, 
and  in  consequence  slipped  down  again,  amid  a 
chorus  of  hollow  groans  from  the  watchers  beyond 
the  fence. 

The  avenging  cow  was  now  close  up,  and  still 
enjoying  the  situation,  as  was  evidenced  by  the 
way  she  made  the  earth  fly.  She  could  be  heard 
giving  a  series  of  strange  moaning  sounds  pe- 
culiarly terrifying;  at  least  Bumpus  evidently 
thought  so,  for  after  his  second  fall  he  just  sat 
there,  and  stared  at  the  oncoming  enemy  as  if  he 
had  actually  lost  his  wits. 

"Get  behind  the  tree,   Bumpus!" 

That  was  Thad  shouting,  and  using  both  his 
hands  in  lieu  of  any  better  megaphone.  Now, 
since  Thad  had  always  been  the  leader  of  the  pa- 
trol ever  since  its  formation,  Bumpus  was  quite 
accustomed  to  obeying  any  order  which  the  other 
might  give.  Doubtless,  he  recognized  the  accus- 
tomed authority  in  those  tones;  at  any  rate,  it  was 
noticed  that  he  once  more  began  to  make  a  move, 
struggling  to  his  feet  in  his  usual  clumsy  way. 

"Oh!  he  just  missed  getting  struck!"  ejaculated 
Smithy,  as  they  saw  Bumpus  move  around  the  tree, 


38  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

and  heard  a  loud  crash  when  the  head  of  the  charg- 
ing cow  smashed  against  the  covering  object. 

The  animal  was  apparently  somewhat  stunned 
by  the  contact,  for  she  stood  there,  looking  a  lit- 
tle "groggy,"  as  Giraffe  called  it.  Had  Bumpus 
known  enough  to  remain  perfectly  still,  and  allow 
the  tree  to  shelter  him  the  best  it  could,  all  might 
have  gone  well ;  but  something  that  may  have  been 
boyish  curiosity  impelled  the  fat  scout  to  thrust 
out  his  head.  Why,  he  had  so  far  recovered  from 
his  fright,  thanks  to  the  substantial  aid  of  that 
tree-trunk,  that  he  actually  put  his  fingers  to  his 
nose,  and  wiggled  them  at  the  cow! 

She  must  have  seen  him  do  it,  and  immediately 
resented  the  implied  insult;  for  all  of  a  sudden 
she  was  seen  to  be  in  motion  again.  There  was 
a  flash  of  dun-colored  sides,  and  around  the  tree 
the  cow  sped,  chasing  Bumpus  ahead  of  her. 

Of  course  the  scout  did  not  have  to  cover  as 
much  ground  as  the  animal,  but  the  fact  must  be 
remembered  that  he  was  a  very  clumsy  fellow, 
and  apt  to  trip  over  his  own  feet  when  excited,  so 
that  the  danger  of  his  falling  a  victim  to  the  rage 
of  the  mother  cow  was  as  acute  as  ever,  despite  the 
sheltering  tree. 

Giraffe  seemed  to  be  enjoying  the  game  im- 
mensely. He  sat  there,  perched  on  the  rail  fence, 
and  dapped  his  hands  with  glee,  while  shouting 
all  manner  of  brotherly  advice  at  Bumpus.  This 
of  course  fell  on  deaf  ears,  because  just  then  the 
imperiled  scout  could  think  of  only  one  thing  at 
a  time,  and  that  was  to  keep  out  of  reach  of  that 
battering  ram. 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  39 

Thad  knew  that  something  must  be  done  to  help 
Bumpus,  who  if  left  to  his  own  resources  never 
would  be  able  to  extricate  himself  from  the  bad 
fix  into  which  he  had  stumbled,  thanks  to  that 
love  of  a  joke  on  the  part  of  Giraffe,  and  his  own 
blindness. 

"Hi,  there,  Bumpus,  she  thinks  you  look  like  the 
butcher  that  took  her  calf  away,  that's  what's  the 
matter!"  cried  Step  Hen. 

"Pity  you  ain't  a  cow  puncher,  Bumpus,"  Giraffe 
went  on  to  say;  "because  then  you  could  throw 
that  poor  thing  easy.  Huh!  think  I  could  do  it 
with  one  hand!" 

"Then  suppose  you  get  off  that  fence  and  do  it!" 
said  Thad  severely.  "You  got  poor  old  Bumpus 
in  that  hole,  and  it  ought  to  be  your  business  to 
rescue  him!" 

Giraffe  looked  dubious.  When  he  spoke  so  con- 
fidently about  believing  himself  able  to  down  the 
raging  cow  he  certainly  couM  not  have  meant  it. 

"Oh!  he  ain't  going  to  get  hurt,  Thad,"  he 
started  to  say;  "if  I  saw  him  knocked  down,  course 
I'd  jump  and  run  to  help  him.  The  exercise  ought 
to  do  Bumpus  good,  for  he's  been  putting  on  too 
much  flesh  lately,  you  know.  You'll  have  to  ex- 
cuse me,  Thad,  sure  you  will.  I'll  go  if  things  look 
bad  for  him ;  but  I  hate  to  break  up  the  game  now 
by  interfering." 

Thad  paid  no  more  attention  to  Giraffe,  since  he 
knew  that  the  other's  inordinate  love  for  practical 
joking  made  him  blind  to  facts  that  as  a  true  scout 
he  should  have  kept  before  his  mind. 


40  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

"Hello!  Bumpus!"  the  patrol  leader  once  more 
shouted. 

"Yes — T-had,  what  is  it?"  came  back  in  a  wheezy 
voice,  for  to  tell  the  truth  Bumpus  was  getting 
pretty  well  winded  by  now,  thanks  to  the  rapid 
manner  in  which  he  had  to  navigate  around  that 
tree  again,  with  the  active  bovine  in  pursuit. 

"Take  off  that  red  bandanna  from  your  neck, 
and  put  it  in  your  pocket!"  ordered  the  patrol 
leader. 

Strange  to  say  no  one  else — saving  possibly  the 
artful  Giraffe — had  once  considered  this  glaring 
fact,  that  much  of  the  cow's  anger  was  excited 
by  seeing  the  hated  color  so  prominently  displayed 
by  the  boy  who  had  invaded  the  pasture  at  such 
an  unfortunate  time  in  her  life  of  frequent  be- 
reavements. 

Taking  it  for  granted  that  Bumpus  would  obey 
the  first  chance  he  got  to  unfasten  the  knot  by 
which  his  big  bandanna  was  secured  around  his 
neck,  Thad  clambered  over  the  fence  and  started 
to  run. 

He  did  not  head  directly  for  the  tree  around 
which  this  exciting  chase  was  being  carried  on, 
but  obliquely.  In  doing  this  Thad  had  several 
reasons,  no  doubt.  First  of  all  he  was  more  apt 
to  catch  the  attention  of  the  angry  cow,  for  he 
was  waving  his  own  red  handkerchief  wildly  as  he 
ran,  and  doing  everything  else  in  his  power  to 
attract  notice.  Then,  if  he  did  succeeed  in  luring 
the  animal  toward  him  he  would  be  taking  her 
away  from  the  tree  at  such  an  angle  that  when 
Bumpus  headed  for  the  spot  where  his  other  chums 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  41 

were  gathered  the  cow  would  not  be  apt  to  see 
him  in  motion  and  give  chase. 

Thad  knew  how  to  work  the  thing  nicely.  He 
succeeded  in  attracting  the  attention  of  the  cow, 
for  he  saw  her  stop  in  her  pursuit  of  Bumpus,  and 
start  to  pawing  the  turf  again. 

"She's  coming,  Thad!"  roared  Allan. 

As  he  spoke  the  cow  started  on  a  full  run  for 
the  new  enemy.  That  flaunting  red  rag  bade  her 
defiance,  apparently,  and  no  respectable  bovine 
could  refuse  to  accept  such  a  gage  of  battle. 

Thad  had  not  gone  far  away  from  the  fence 
at  any  time.  He  was  not  hankering  to  play  the 
part  of  a  bull-baiter,  and  run  the  chance  of  being 
tossed  high  in  the  air,  or  butted  into  the  ground. 

He  had,  like  a  wise  general,  also  marked  out 
the  way  of  retreat,  and  when  the  onrushing  ani- 
mal was  fully  started,  so  that  there  seemed  to  be 
little  likelihood  of  her  stopping  short  of  the  .fence, 
Thad  nimbly  darted  along,  and  just  at  the  proper 
time  he  was  seen  to  make  a  flying  leap  that  landed 
him  on  the  top  rail,  from  which  he  instantly 
dropped  to  the  ground. 

He  continued  to  flaunt  the  red  handkerchief  as 
close  to  the  nose  of  the  cow  as  he  could,  so  as  to 
hold  her  attention ;  while  she  butted  the  fence  again 
and  again,  as  only  an  angry  and  baffled  beast 
might. 

Thad  was  meanwhile  again  shouting  his  direc- 
tions to  the  dazed  Bumpus,  who,  winded  by  his 
recent  tremendous  exertions,  had  actually  sunk 
down  at  the  base  of  the  friendly  tree  as  though 
exhausted. 


42  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

"Get  moving,  Bumpus!"  was  what  the  patrol 
leader  told  him.  "Back  away,  and  try  to  keep  the 
tree  between  the  cow  and  yourself  all  you  can. 
Don't  waste  a  single  minute,  because  she  may  break 
away  from  me,  and  hunt  you  up  again!  Get  a 
move  on  you,  Bumpus,  do  you  hear?" 

Finally  aroused  to  a  consciousness  of  the  fact 
that  he  was  not  yet  "out  of  the  woods"  so  long  as 
no  fence  separated  him  from  that  fighting  cow, 
Bumpus  started  in  to  obey  the  directions  given 
by  the  leader  of  the  Silver  Fox  Patrol. 

It  was  no  difficult  matter  to  back  away,  keeping 
in  a  line  that  would  allow  the  tree  to  cover  him, 
and  the  fat  scout  in  this  manner  drew  steadily 
closer  to  where  his  comrades  awaited  him. 

He  was  near  the  fence  when  the  cow  must  have 
discovered  him  again,  for  the  first  thing  Bumpus 
knew  he  heard  Davy  shrieking  madly. 

"Run  like  everything,  Bumpus!  Whoop!  here 
she  comes,  licketty-split  after  you!  To  the  fence, 
and  we'll  help  you  over,  Bumpus !  Come  on !  Come 
on!" 

Which  Bumpus  was  of  course  doing  the  best 
he  knew  how,  not  even  daring  to  look  over  his 
slioulder  for  fear  of  being  petrified  by  the  awful 
sight  of  that  "monster"  charging  after  him,  and 
appearing  ten  times  as  big  as  she  really  was. 

Arriving  at  the  fence  he  found  Davy  and  Gi- 
raffe awaiting  him,  for  the  latter,  possibly  ar- 
riving at  the  repentant  stage,  had  begun  to  realize 
that  a  joke  may  often  be  very  one-sided,  and  that 
"what  is  fun  for  the  boys  is  death  to  the  frogs." 

Assisted  by  their  willing  arms  the  almost  breath- 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  43 

less  fat  scout  was  hustled  over  the  fence.  There 
was  indeed  little  time  to  spare.  Hardly  had  Davy 
and  Giraffe  managed  to  follow  after  him,  so  that 
all  three  landed  beyond  the  barrier,  when  the  baf- 
fled bovine  arrived  on  the  spot,  to  bellow  with 
rage  as  she  realized  that  her  intended  prey  had 
escaped  for  good. 

Bumpus  was  hardly  able  to  breathe.  He  was 
fiery  red  in  the  face,  and  quite  wet  with  perspira- 
tion; but  nevertheless  he  looked  suspiciously  at  Gi- 
raffe, as  though  a  dim  idea  might  be  taking  shape 
in  that  slow-moving  mind  of  his. 

"Oh,  no,  Bumpus!  You  don't  get  that  compass 
this  time,"  asserted  the  tall  scout,  shaking  his  head 
in  the  negative,  while  he  grinned  at  Bumpus. 
"You  never  climbed  the  tree  at  all,  you  know.  Our 
little  wager  is  off!" 

"If  I  thought  you  knew — about  that  pesky  cow, 
Giraffe — I'd  consider  that  you  played  me  a  low- 
down  trick!"  said  Bumpus,  between  gasps. 

Giraffe  made  no  reply.  Perhaps  the  enormity  of 
his  offense  had  begun  to  trouble  him,  because  Bum- 
pus  was  such  a  good-natured  fellow,  with  his  sunny 
blue  eyes,  and  his  willing  disposition,  that  it  really 
seemed  a  shame  to  take  advantage  of  his  confiding 
nature.  So  Giraffe  turned  aside,  and  amused  him- 
self by  thrusting  his  hand,  containing  his  own  red 
bandanna,  through  the  openings  between  the  rails  of 
the  fence,  and  tempting  the  cow  to  butt  at  him, 
when,  of  course,  he  would  adroitly  withdraw  from 
reach  in  good  time. 

When  Bumpus  had  fully  recovered  his  breath, 
the  march  was  resumed.  Giraffe  loitered  behind  a 


44  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

bit.  He  knew  from  the  signs  that  he  was  in  for 
what  he  called  a  "hauling  over  the  coals"  by  the 
patrol  leader,  and  fully  expected  to  see  Thad  drop 
back  to  join  him.  The  sooner  the  unpleasant  epi- 
sode was  over  with  the  better — that  was  Giraffe's 
way  of  looking  at  it,  and  he  was  really  inviting 
Thad  to  hurry  up  and  get  the  scolding  out  of  his 
system. 

Sure  enough,  presently  Thad  dropped  back  and 
joined  him.  Looking  up  out  of  the  tail  of  his  eye, 
Giraffe  saw  that  the  other  was  observing  him  se- 
verely. He  fully  expected  to  hear  something  un- 
pleasant about  the  duty  one  scout  ought  to  assume 
toward  his  fellows.  To  his  surprise  Thad  started 
on  another  tack  entirely. 

"I  want  to  tell  you  a  little  story  I  read  the  other 
day,  Giraffe,"  he  said  quietly,  "and,  if  the  shoe  fits, 
you  can  put  it  on." 

"All  right,  Thad ;  you  know  I  like  to  hear  stories 
first  rate,"  mumbled  Giraffe,  glad  at  least  that  the 
others  of  the  party  were  far  enough  ahead  so  that 
none  of  them  could  hear  what  passed  between  him- 
self and  the  patrol  leader. 

"I  think,"  began  Thad,  "it  was  told  to  illustrate 
the  old  saying  that  'curses,  like  chickens,  come  home 
to  roost.'  The  lecturer  went  on  to  say  that  when 
a  boy  throws  a  rubber  ball  against  a  wall  it  bounds 
back,  and,  unless  he  is  careful,  it's  apt  to  take  him 
in  the  eye;  and  that's  the  way  everything  we  do 
comes  back  to  us  some  time  or  other." 

"Sure  thing  it  does;  and  p'raps  some  day  I  ex- 
pect Bumpus  will  be  getting  one  over  on  me  to 
pay  the  score,"  admitted  Giraffe;  but  Thad  did  not 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  45 

pay  any  attention  to  what  he  said,  only  went  on 
with  his  story. 

"There  was  once  a  boy,  a  thoughtless  boy,  with 
a  little  cruel  streak  in  his  make-up,  who  always 
wanted  to  find  a  chance  for  a  good  laugh,  without 
thinking  of  what  pain  he  might  be  causing  others," 
Thad  went  on,  at  which  Giraffe  winced,  for  the 
shaft  went  home.  "One  day  he  was  playing  on  a 
hillside  with  their  big  dog,  Rover.  He  would  roll 
a  stone  down  the  hill,  and  Rover  would  obediently 
run  after  it,  and  bring  it  back.  He  seemed  to  be 
enjoying  the  sport  as  much  as  the  boy. 

"Then  all  at  once  the  boy  discovered  a  big  hor- 
net's nest  almost  a  foot  in  diameter,  hanging  low 
down  on  a  bush.  He  saw  a  chance  to  have  a  great 
lark.  He  *vould  roll  a  stone  so  as  to  hit  the  nest, 
and  send  Rover  after  it.  Then  the  hornets  would 
come  raging  out,  and  it  would  be  such  a  lark  to 
see  them  chasing  poor  Rover  down  the  hill. 

"Well,  the  stone  he  rolled  went  true  to  the 
mark,  and  came  slam  against  the  hornet's  nest. 
Rover  was  in  full  pursuit,  and  he  banged  up  against 
it,  too.  Out  came  a  black  swarm  of  furious  hor- 
nets, and  of  course  they  tackled  poor  Rover  like 
everything. 

"The  boy  up  on  the  hill  laughed  until  he  nearly 
doubled  up,  to  hear  Rover  yelp,  and  whirl  around 
this  way  and  that.  He  thought  he  had  never  had 
such  a  bully  time  in  all  his  life  as  just  then.  Rover 
was  a  fine  dog,  and  the  boy  thought  just  heaps  of 
him;  but  then  it  was  so  comical  to  see  how  he 
twisted,  and  bit  at  himself,  and  he  howled  so 


46  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

fiercely,  too,  that  the  boy  could  hardly  get  his 
breath  for  laughing. 

"But  all  at  once  he  saw  to  his  alarm  that  poor 
Rover,  unable  to  help  himself,  was  running  up  the 
hill  straight  to  his  master,  as  though  thinking  that 
the  boy  could  save  him.  Then  the  boy  stopped 
laughing.  It  didn't  seem  so  funny  then.  And, 
Giraffe,  inside  of  ten  seconds  there  was  a  boy  run- 
ning madly  down  the  hill,  fighting  a  thousand  mad 
hornets  that  stung  him  everywhere,  and  set  him 
to  yelling  as  if  he  were  half  crazy.  When  he  got 
home  finally,  and  saw  his  swollen  face  in  the  glass, 
and  felt  Rover  licking  his  hand  as  if  the  good  fel- 
low did  not  dream  that  his  master  had  betrayed  him 
so  meanly,  what  do  you  suppose  that  boy  said  to 
himself,  if  he  had  any  conscience  at  all?" 

Giraffe  looked  up.  He  was  as  red  in  the  face 
as  any  turkey  that  ever  strutted  and  gobbled. 
Giraffe  at  least  had  a  conscience,  as  his  words 
proved  beyond  any  doubt. 

"Served  him  right,  Thad ;  that's  what  I  say !  And 
I  thank  you  for  telling  me  that  story.  It's  a  hum- 
mer, all  right,  and  I  won't  ever  forget  it,  either,  I 
promise  you.  It  was  a  cruel  joke,  and  some  time 
I'm  going  to  make  up  for  playing  it.  That's  all  I 
want  to  say,  Thad." 

And  the  wise  patrol  leader,  knowing  that  it  would 
do  Giraffe  a  lot  more  good  to  commune  with  him- 
self just  then,  rather  than  to  be  taken  to  task  any 
further,  walked  away,  to  rejoin  Allan,  who  was  at 
the  head  of  the  expedition.  Nor  did  Giraffe  make 
any  effort  to  hasten  his  footsteps  so  as  to  catch  up 
with  the  rest,  until  quite  some  little  time  had  elapsed. 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  47 


CHAPTER   V. 

THE  CAMP  IN  THE  HAYMOW. 

"THERE'S  a  farmhouse  over  yonder,  Thad;  and 
night's  coming  on  pretty  fast  now !"  called  out  Davy 
Jones  later  on,  after  the  expedition  had  covered 
several  more  miles  of  ground,  and  seemed  to  be 
descending  an  incline  that  would  very  likely  shortly 
take  them  to  the  bank  of  the  winding  Susquehanna. 

"I  hope  we  decide  to  bunk  in  a  haymow,  and  not 
out  in  the  open  to-night,"  added  Step  Hen.  "Not 
having  any  tents  along  makes  it  a  poor  business  try- 
ing to  keep  off  the  rain,  if  she  should  drop  in  on 
us.  How  about  it,  Thad?" 

"I  reckon,  suh,  we're  all  of  one  mind  there,"  re- 
marked Bob  White. 

"Just  as  you  say,  boys,"  Thad  announced.  "We'll 
turn  in  here,  and  see  if  the  farmer  will  allow  us 
to  camp  in  his  barnyard." 

"And  mebbe  he  might  sell  us  a  couple  of  fat  chick- 
ens, and  some  fresh  milk  or  cream  to  go  with  our 
coffee.  That  would  be  about  as  fine  as  silk,  I'm 
telling  you,"  and  Giraffe,  who  had  rejoined  his  com- 
rades, looking  just  the  same  as  ever,  rubbed  his 
stomach  as  he  said  this,  by  that  means  implying 
that  the  prospect  pleased  him  even  more  than  words 
could  tell. 

Accordingly  the   line  of   march   was   changed. 


48  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

They  abandoned  the  road,  and  started  up  the  lane 
that  led  to  the  farmhouse.  A  watchdog  began  bark- 
ing furiously,  and  at  the  sound  several  people  came 
out  of  the  house,  and  the  big  barn  as  well ;  so  that 
while  the  scouts  had  clustered  a  little  closer  to- 
gether, as  though  wishing  to  be  ready  for  an  attack, 
they  knew  there  was  now  nothing  to  fear. 

Three  minutes  later  and  they  were  talking  with 
the  grizzled  farmer,  his  good  wife,  a  couple  of  girls, 
and  the  stout  young  hired  help  named  Hiram,  all 
of  whom  were  fairly  dazzled  by  the  sight  of  eight 
khaki-clad  young  fellows,  some  of  whom  carried 
shotguns,  grouped  in  their  dooryard. 

Thad  explained  that  they  were  a  patrol  of  Boy 
Scouts  from  Cranford,  on  a  hike,  and  not  having 
tents  along  with  them,  made  bold  to  ask  the  farmer 
if  they  might  sleep  in  his  haymow,  and  cook  their 
supper  in  the  open  space  before  the  barns. 

There  was  something  inviting  about  Thad  Brews- 
ter's  manner  that  drew  most  people  toward  him. 
That  same  farmer  might  have  been  tempted  to  say 
no  under  ordinary  conditions,  for  he  looked  like  a 
severe  man;  but  somehow  he  was  quite  captivated 
by  the  manly  appearance  of  these  lads.  Besides,  he 
had  doubtless  read  considerable  about  the  activities 
of  the  scouts,  and  felt  that  the  chance  of  hearing 
something  concerning  them  at  first  hand  was  too 
good  to  be  lost. 

"I  ain't  got  the  least  objection  to  you  boys  sleep- 
ing in  my  hay,  if  you  promise  me  not  to  light 
matches,  or  do  any  smokin'  there,"  he  said. 

"I'll  look  out  for  that,  sir,"  replied  Thad 
promptly,  "and  we  all  promise  you  that  there  wilJ 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  49 

be  no  damage  done  from  our  staying  over.  We  will 
want  to  make  a  cooking  fire  somewhere,  but  it  can 
be  done  at  a  safe  distance  from  the  barn,  and  to 
leeward,  so  that  any  sparks  will  go  the  other  way." 

"And  if  so  be  you  could  spare  us  a  couple  of 
chickens,  mister,"  put  in  Giraffe,  "we'd  be  glad  to 
pay  you  the  full  market  price ;  as  also  for  any  milk 
or  cream  or  eggs  you'd  let  us  have." 

"Oh!  you  can  fix  that  with  the  missus,"  returned 
the  farmer;  "she  runs  that  end  of  the  farm.  I  look 
after  the  crops  and  the  stock.  Now,  if  you  wanted 
a  four-hundred-pound  pig  I've  got  a  beauty  to  offer 
you." 

"Thanks,  awfully,"  returned  Step  Hen  quickly, 
giving  Giraffe,  who  was  a  big  eater,  a  meaning 
look ;  "but  I  reckon  we're  well  supplied  in  that  way 
already." 

Arrangements  were  quickly  made  with  the  farm- 
er's wife,  and  under  charge  of  the  willing  Hiram, 
who  never  could  get  over  staring  at  the  uniforms 
of  the  scouts  with  envy  in  his  pale  eyes,  some  of 
the  boys  gave  chase  to  a  couple  of  ambitious  young 
roosters  that  were  trying  their  first  crow  on  a  near- 
by fence,  finally  capturing  and  beheading  the  same. 

Thad  meanwhile  accompanied  the  good  woman 
to  her  dairy,  and  returned  with  a  brimming  bucket 
of  morning's  milk,  as  well  as  a  pitcher  of  the  thick- 
est yellow  cream  any  of  them  had  ever  gazed  upon. 

The  girls  brought  out  some  fresh  eggs,  and  alto- 
gether the  sight  of  so  much  riches  caused  Giraffe 
to  smile  all  over. 

Giraffe  was  the  acknowledged  leader  when  it  came 
to  making  fires,  and  that  duty  as  a  rule  devolved 


50  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

upon  him.  He  had  made  a  particular  study  of  the 
art,  and  in  pursuing  his  hobby  to  the  limits  was  able 
to  get  fire  at  his  pleasure,  whether  he  had  a  match 
or  not.  And  in  more  than  a  few  times  in  the  past 
this  knowledge  had  proved  very  useful  to  the  tall 
scout,  as  the  record  in  previous  stories  concerning 
the  doings  of  the  Silver  Fox  Patrol  will  explain. 

Accordingly  Giraffe  had  chosen  to  make  a  neat 
little  fireplace  out  of  smooth  blocks  of  stone  which 
happened  to  lie  handy.  This  he  had  built  at  the 
spot  selected  by  Thad  as  perfectly  safe;  for  what 
little  wind  there  was  would  blow  the  sparks  in  a 
direction  where  they  could  do  no  possible  damage. 

When  Hiram  came  back  he  forgot  all  about  any 
chores  that  might  be  waiting.  Never  before  had 
he  been  given  such  a  glorious  chance  to  witness  the 
smart  doings  of  Boy  Scouts.  He  observed  every- 
thing Giraffe  did  when  he  made  that  cunning  little 
out-of-doors  cooking  range,  and  noted  that  while 
the  double  row  of  stones  spread  wide  apart  at  one 
end,  just  so  the  big  frying  pan  would  set  across, 
they  drew  much  closer  at  the  other  terminus,  like 
the  letter  V,  so  that  the  coffee  pot  could  be  laid  there 
without  spilling. 

Then  Giraffe  started  his  fire.  Hiram  noticed  how 
he  picked  certain  kinds  of  wood  from  the  abundant 
supply  over  at  the  chopping  block.  Giraffe  liked  to 
be  in  the  lime  light;  and  he  was  also  an  accommo- 
dating chap.  He  saw  that  the  farmhand  was  in- 
tensely interested,  as  well  as  quite  green  at  all  such 
things ;  but  the  fact  of  his  "wanting  to  know"  was 
enough  to  start  the  scout  to  imparting  information. 

So  he  told  Hiram  how  certain  kinds  of  wood  are 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  51 

more  suitable  for  cooking  purposes,  since  they  make 
a  fierce  heat,  and  leave  red  ashes  that  hold  for  a 
long  time;  and  it  is  over  such  a  bed  that  the  best 
cooking  can  be  done,  and  not  when  there  is  more 
or  less  flame  and  smoke  to  interfere. 

Allan  and  Davy  had  been  very  busy  plucking  the 
fowls  during  this  time,  while  Bumpus  busied  him- 
self getting  some  fresh  water  from  the  well  near 
by,  and  fixing  the  coffee  ready  to  go  on  the  fire 
•when  Giraffe  gave  the  word  that  he  was  prepared. 

One  of  the  girls  brought  a  loaf  of  fresh  home- 
made bread,  and  a  roll  of  genuine  country  butter 
that  was  as  sweet  as  could  be.  Fancy  with  what 
impatience  those  boys  waited  while  supper  was  be- 
ing cooked.  The  odors  that  arose  when  the  cut-up 
chicken  was  browning  in  the  pan  along  with  some 
slices  of  salt  pork,  and  the  coffee  steaming  on  one 
of  the  stones  alongside  the  fire,  made  a  combination 
that  fairly  set  several  of  the  fellows  wild,  so  that 
they  had  to  walk  away  in  order  to  control  them- 
selves. 

Finally  the  welcome  signal  was  given  by  Bumpus, 
and  never  had  those  silver  notes  of  the  "assembly" 
sounded  sweeter  in  mortal  ears  than  they  did  that 
night  in  the  barnyard  of  that  Susquehanna  farm, 
with  the  eight  khaki-clad  scouts  sitting  on  logs,  and^ 
any  other  thing  that  offered,  and  every  inmate  of* 
the  farmhouse  gathered  near  by  to  watch  opera- 
tions. 

They  had  a  feast  indeed,  and  there  was  plenty 
for  every  one  and  to  spare.  Indeed,  Hiram  had  ac- 
cepted the  invitation  of  Giraffe  to  hold  off  supper, 
and  join  them,  and  the  big  fellow  seemed  to  be  en- 


52  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

joying  his  novel  experience  vastly,  if  one  could 
judge  from  the  broad  grin  that  never  once  left  his 
rosy  face. 

After  the  meal  was  over  they  found  seats,  and 
as  the  fire  sparkled  and  crackled  merrily  Thad  told 
them  all  that  he  possibly  could  about  the  aims  and 
ambitions  of  the  scout  movement.  He  found  a 
very  attentive  and  appreciative  audience ;  and  it  was 
possible  that  seeds  were  planted  in  the  mind  of 
Hiram  on  that  occasion  calculated  to  bear  more  or 
less  good  fruit  later  on  in  his  life. 

Of  course  Thad  had  to  explain  to  some  extent  why 
they  were  so  far  away  from  home,  and  this  necessi- 
tated relating  the  story  about  the  old  army  over- 
coat that  had  been  turned  over  to  a  tramp  through 
the  desire  of  the  judge's  second  wife  to  get  rid  of  it. 
Thad  of  course  only  went  so  far  as  to  say  that  the 
judge  mourned  the  loss  of  an  article  which  he  really 
valued  highly  on  account  of  its  association  with 
his  only  son's  army  life  years  before;  and  he  made 
out  such  a  strong  case  that  those  who  heard  the 
story  could  easily  understand  why  the  gentleman 
should  wish  to  recover  the  garment  again,  if  it  were 
possible. 

None  of  them  could  remember  having  seen  any 
party  wearing  such  a  coat;  and  it  would  seem  that 
if  the  hobo  had  passed  along  that  way,  he  might 
have  applied  at  the  farmhouse  for  a  meal,  though 
the  presence  of  the  dog  usually  deterred  those  of 
his  kind  from  bothering  the  good  farm  wife. 

"Guess  they've  got  the  chalk  mark  on  your  gate 
post,  mister,"  commented  Step  Hen,  when  he  heard 
this;  "I've  been  told  these  hoboes  leave  signs  all 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  53 

along  the  way  for  the  next  comer  to  read.  Some 
places  they  say  are  good  for  a  square  meal :  then  at 
another  place  you  want  to  look  sharp,  for  the  farm- 
er's wife  will  ring  pies  on  you  that  are  guaran- 
teed to  break  off  a  tooth  in  trying  to  bite  'em.  Now, 
like  as  not  there's  a  sign  on  your  post  that  says: 
'Beware  of  the  dog ;  he's  a  holy  terror !' ' 

"I  hope  there  is,"  replied  the  farmer;  "and  if  I 
knew  what  it  was  I'd  see  it  got  on  every  post  I  own, 
for  if  there's  one  thing  I  hate  it's  a  tramp.  I've 
had  my  chickens  stolen,  my  hogs  poisoned,  and  my 
haymow  out  in  the  pasture  burned  twice  by  some  of 
that  worthless  lot.  They  kind  of  know  me  by  now, 
and  that  I  ain't  to  be  trifled  with." 

The  evening  passed  all  too  quickly;  and  when 
Step  Hen  happened  to  mention  that  Bumpus  was 
the  possessor  of  a  beautiful  soprano  voice  of  course 
the  country  girls  insisted  that  he  entertain  them. 
Bumpus,  as  has  been  remarked  before,  was  an  ac- 
commodating fellow,  and  he  allowed  himself  to  be 
coaxed  to  sing  one  song  after  another,  with  all  of 
them  joining  in  the  chorus,  until  he  was  too  hoarse 
to  keep  it  up.  Then  they  spied  his  lovely  silver- 
plated  bugle,  and  nothing  would  do  but  he  must 
sound  all  the  army  calls  he  knew,  which  added  to 
the  enjoyment  considerably. 

Taken  in  all,  that  was  the  most  novel  entertain- 
ment any  of  them  had  ever  experienced;  and  es- 
pecially those  who  lived  in  the  lonely  farmhouse. 
It  must  have  been  a  tremendous  and  pleasant  break 
in  the  monotony  that  usually  hangs  like  a  pall  upon 
all  farm  work.  No  wonder,  Thad  thought,  all  of 
them  looked  so  happy  when  they  were  bidding  the 


54  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

boys  good  night,  and  admitted  that  they  had  en- 
joyed the  coming  of  the  expedition  greatly. 

Hiram  could  not  be  "pried  loose,"  as  Giraffe  said. 
He  insisted  on  seeing  all  he  could  of  these  new  and 
remarkable  friends,  and  had  announced  his  inten- 
tion of  accompanying  the  scouts  to  the  hay,  and 
sleeping  near  them. 

No  one  offered  the  least  objection.  Indeed,  by 
this  time,  after  such  an  exhausting  march  as  they 
had  been  through  since  sun-up,  all  of  them  were 
pretty  tired,  and  their  one  thought  was  to  snuggle 
down  in  the  hay,  with  their  blankets  wrapped 
around  them,  and  get  some  sleep. 

"Still  cloudy  and  threatening,"  remarked  Allen, 
as  he  and  Thad  took  a  last  look  around  ere  turn- 
ing in. 

"Yes,  it's  holding  off  in  a  queer  way,"  replied  the 
other,  "but  when  it  does  hit  us,  look  out  for  a  down- 
pour. I'd  be  glad  if  we  ran  on  that  Wandering 
George  before  the  rain  starts  in,  because  it'll  be 
hard  getting  around  when  the  whole  country  is 
soaked  and  afloat." 

"I'm  told  the  river  is  already  close  to  flood  stage, 
owing  to  so  much  snow  melting  at  headwaters,"  ob- 
served Allan. 

"Yes,  we  had  an  unusual  lot  last  winter,  you  re- 
member ;  and  when  the  weather  turned  actually  hot 
a  few  days  back  it  must  have  started  the  snow  melt- 
ing at  a  furious  rate.  If  we  get  a  hard  rain  now 
there'll  be  a  whopping  big  flood  all  along  the  Sus- 
quehanna  this  spring." 

"Everything  seems  all  right  around  here,  doesn't 
it?"  asked  Allan,  as  he  bent  down  over  Giraffe's 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  55 

fireplace,  with  the  caution  of  a  hunter  who  knew 
how  necessary  it  always  is  to  see  that  no  glowing 
embers  have  been  forgotten  that  a  sudden  wind 
could  carry  off  to  cause  a  disastrous  conflagration. 

"I  saw  Giraffe  throw  some  water  over  the  coals," 
remarked  Thad.  "He  loves  a  fire  better  than  any- 
one I  know,  but  you  never  find  him  neglecting  to 
take  the  proper  precautions.  Yes,  it's  cold  to  the 
touch.  Let's  hunt  a  place  to  bunk  for  the  night, 
Allan.  With  our  blankets,  a  bed  in  the  soft  hay 
ought  to  feel  just  prime." 

Nine  of  them  burrowed  into  the  big  haymow, 
with  all  sorts  of  merry  remarks,  and  a  flow  of  boy- 
ish badinage.  Finally  they  began  to  get  settled 
in  their  various  nooks  and  the  talking  died  down 
until  in  the  end  no  one  said  a  single  word,  and 
already  Bumpus  and  perhaps  several  others  began 
to  breathe  heavily,  thus  betraying  the  fact  that  they 
had  passed  over  the  border  of  dreamland. 

Thad  of  course  had  more  to  think  about  than 
most  of  his  mates,  because,  as  the  patrol  leader,  and 
head  of  the  present  expedition,  he  found  problems 
to  study  out  that  did  not  present  themselves  to  such 
happy-go-lucky  fellows  as  Bumpus,  Step  Hen, 
Davy,  and  perhaps  Giraffe.  So  Thad  lay  there  for 
quite  some  time,  thinking,  and  trying  to  lay  out 
some  plan  of  campaign  to  be  followed  in  case  the 
expected  rain  did  strike  them  before  they  came  up 
with  the  fugitive  tramp. 

It  was  very  comfortable,  and  the  hay  was  sweet- 
smelling,  so  that  even  the  fastidious  Smithy  had 
not  been  heard  to  utter  the  least  complaint,  but  had 
burrowed  with  the  rest.  Possibly  he  may  have 


56  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

swathed  his  face,  as  well  as  his  body,  in  the  folds 
of  his  blanket,  in  order  to  prevent  any  roving  spider 
from  carrying  out  the  gypsy's  evil  prophecy;  but 
if  so  no  one  knew  it,  since  all  of  them  but  Allan 
and  Thad  had  made  separate  burrows. 

The  young  scout  master  remembered  that  his 
thoughts  became  confused,  and  then  he  lost  his 
grip  on  things. 

It  seemed  to  him  that  his  dreams  must  be  won- 
derfully vivid,  for  as  he  suddenly  struggled  up  to 
a  sitting  position  he  could  fancy  that  he  heard  some 
one  calling  at  the  top  of  his  voice.  Then  shrill 
screams  in  girlish  tones  added  to  the  clamor. 

"What's  that  mean,  Thad?"  demanded  Allan,  as 
he  clutched  the  arm  of  his  chum,  at  the  same  time 
sitting  up. 

"I  don't  know,"  replied  Thad  shortly.  "There 
must  be  something  wrong  up  at  the  farmhouse. 
The  other  fellows  are  stirring  now,  so  let's  crawl 
out  of  this  in  a  big  hurry,  Allan !" 

Both  scouts  made  all  haste  to  escape  from  the 
tunnel  under  the  hay,  kicking  their  way  to  freedom. 
No  sooner  had  they  gained  their  feet  than  they 
started  out  of  the  barn,  for  the  haymow  was  un- 
der the  shelter  of  a  roof. 

Only  too  well  did  Thad  know  what  was  the  mat- 
ter, when  he  burst  from  the  door  of  the  barn,  and 
saw  that  the  darkness  of  the  night  was  split  by  a 
glare  from  up  in  the  direction  of  the  farmhouse 
on  the  rise.  Through  the  bare  branches  of  the  trees 
he  could  see  tongues  of  flames. 

"The  house  is  on  fire,  Allan!"  he  shouted.  "We 
must  get  all  the  boys  out,  and  do  what  we  can  to 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  57 

fight  the  flames.  Hi !  everybody  on  deck — Giraffe, 
Step  Hen,  Davy,  and  the  rest  of  you,  hurry  out 
here  and  lend  a  hand !  You're  wanted,  and  wanted 
badly  into  the  bargain !" 


58  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 


CHAPTER    VI. 

SCOUTS  TO  THE  RESCUE. 

FEELING  sure  that  the  rest  of  the  scouts,  as 
well  as  Hiram,  the  overgrown  country  boy  who 
worked  on  the  farm,  would  be  along  shortly,  Thad 
and  Allan  seized  upon  a  couple  of  buckets,  filled 
them  at  the  watering  trough  near  by,  and  hastened 
toward  the  burning  building. 

The  farmer,  partly  dressed,  was  doing  valiant 
work  already,  and  his  wife  kept  up  a  constant 
pounding  of  the  pump,  filling  buckets  as  fast  as  the 
man  of  the  house  emptied  them. 

When  the  two  scouts  got  to  work  things  began 
to  look  more  hopeful,  though  with  the  flames  mak- 
ing such  rapid  headway  it  promised  to  be  a  hard 
fight  to  win  out. 

Thad  wondered  why  the  fire  should  have  gained 
such  a  tremendous  headway,  but  later  on  the  mys- 
tery was  explained,  and  he  understood  the  reason. 
When  kerosene  is  dashed  around  it  offers  splendid 
food  for  fire,  once  the  flame  is  applied. 

Now  came  all  of  the  other  fellows,  eager  to  lend 
a  helping  hand.  The  farmer  had  been  neighborly 
and  kind,  and  his  folks  had  helped  to  make  a  pleas- 
ant night  for  their  unexpected  but  nevertheless  wel- 
come guests,  and  on  this  account  alone  Thad  and 
his  chums  felt  that  they  must  do  all  in  their  power 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  59 

to  save  the  house.  Then  again  they  were  scouts, 
and  as  such  had  cheerfully  promised  to  always  as- 
sist those  in  trouble,  whether  friends,  strangers,  or 
even  enemies. 

They  found  all  manner  of  vessels  capable  of  hold- 
ing more  or  less  water.  Bumpus  even  manipulated 
a  footbath,  although  on  one  or  two  occasions  he 
had  to  stumble  as  usual,  and  came  very  near  being 
drowned  in  consequence,  since  he  deluged  himself 
from  head  to  foot  with  the  contents. 

When  such  a  constant  stream  of  water  was  being 
poured  upon  the  fire  it  could  not  make  much  head- 
way. 

"Keep  her  going!"  yelped  Giraffe,  whose  long 
legs  allowed  him  to  make  more  frequent  trips  back 
and  forth  than  any  of  the  others;  "we've  got  her 
at  a  standstill  now,  and  the  next  thing  you  know 
she'll  cave  under.  More  water  this  way!  Every- 
body's doing  it !  Hi !  Bumpus,  don't  upset  that  ocean 
over  me ;  it's  the  fire  that  wants  putting  out,  not  me. 
Whee!  look  at  that,  would  you;  he  smothered  it 
with  that  deluge.  Bully  for  you,  Bumpus!  Do  it 
some  more,  boy !  You're  sure  a  brick !" 

They  worked  like  beavers,  every  fellow  acting  as 
though  the  success  of  the  undertaking  depended 
wholly  upon  his  individual  efforts.  When  the  good 
woman  fell  back,  completely  exhausted  with  her  ef- 
forts, the  two  girls  nobly  responded  to  the  call,  and 
pumped  away  as  only  sturdy  country  lassies  could, 
filling  the  buckets  that  came  their  way  as  speedily 
as  possible. 

It  was  very  lively  while  it  lasted,  and  none  of 
those  who  took  part  in  that  midnight  battle  with 


60  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

the  devouring  element  would  soon  forget  their  ex- 
citing experience. 

The  fire  seemed  to  be  confined  to  the  room  in 
which  it  had  started,  so  that  the  damage  would  not 
be  extended,  which  was  one  satisfaction  at  least. 

To  the  boys  it  was  next  door  to  a  picnic.  They 
just  gloried  in  participating  in  such  an  exciting 
event  as  this,  and  some  of  them  may  even  have  felt 
a  little  disappointment  because  the  battle  with  the 
devouring  element  promised  to  be  of  such  short 
duration,  though  of  course  that  did  not  mean 
they  would  have  been  glad  to  have  seen  further 
disaster  overtake  their  friend  the  farmer. 

Thad  and  Allan  would  not  allow  anyone  to  re- 
lax their  efforts  in  the  slightest  degree,  even  when 
it  became  positive  that  they  were  quickly  putting 
out  the  last  of  the  fire.  Until  every  spark  had  been 
properly  extinguished  there  must  be  no  stoppage  to 
the  good  work.  A  fire  is  only  put  out  when  there 
is  no  longer  any  danger  of  its  awakening  to  new 
life  when  one's  back  is  turned. 

Finally  the  work  was  done,  and  they  could  rest 
themselves.  The  man  had  gone  into  the  kitchen  and 
started  a  blaze  in  the  stove  there,  for  the  night  air 
seemed  chilly,  and  none  of  them  was  dressed  any 
too  warmly. 

"Well,  this  old  tramp  promises  to  make  a  new 
record  along  the  line  of  excitement  for  our  crowd, 
and  that's  a  fact !"  declared  Step  Hen,  as  he  took  a 
drink  of  cold  water,  for  his  recent  exertions  had 
"warmed  him  up  inside,"  he  remarked. 

"I  should  remark  it  did,"  added  Giraffe;  "and 
who  can  say  what  lies  ahead  of  us  yet?  One  thing 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  61 

follows  another  like  a  procession.  But  I'm  glad  we 
happened  to  be  here  at  the  right  time,  so  we  could 
help  save  the  farmhouse.  These  people  have  been 
mighty  kind  to  us,  and  it's  nice  to  be  able  to  pay 
'em  back." 

"Say,  Thad,  I  hope  now  we  didn't  have  anything 
to  do  with  that  fire?"  remarked  Davy,  who  lowered 
his  voice  as  he  spoke,  as  though  unwilling  to  have 
anyone  outside  of  his  comrades  hear  what  he  said. 

"Well,  I  reckon  we  had  a  heap  to  do  with  ex- 
tinguishing the  same,  anyhow,"  Giraffe  told  him; 
"but  what  do  you  mean,  Davy  ?  Don't  act  so  mys- 
terious, but  blurt  it  out." 

"Are  you  sure  you  didn't  leave  any  fire  where 
you  cooked  supper,  Giraffe,  that  could  have  been 
scooped  up  by  the  rising  wind,  and  carried  to  the 
house  up  here  ?  That's  what's  bothering  me." 

"Don't  let  it  worry  you  a  whit  any  longer  then," 
Thad  told  him  promptly ;  "because  Allan  and  I  made 
sure  to  examine  the  fireplace,  and  we  found  that 
Giraffe,  like  a  true  scout,  had  thrown  water  on  the 
last  spark.  It  was  cold  and  dead.  So  you  see, 
Davy,  we  couldn't  have  had  anything  to  do  with 
its  starting." 

"Then  what  happened?"  asked  Smithy,  who  evi- 
dently did  not  know  that  he  had  a  ridiculous  long 
black  smooch  down  one  side  of  his  face,  or  he  would 
not  have  looked  so  well  satisfied,  because  Smithy 
still  cared  a  great  deal  for  his  personal  appearance, 
and  sometimes  even  brushed  his  hair  on  the  sly 
when  in  camp. 

"We'll  have  to  find  that  out  from  the  farmer/' 
said  Thad. 


62  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

They  looked  in  the  kitchen  where  the  owner  of 
the  house  had  last  been  seen,  but  he  was  not  there. 
Just  then  they  heard  him  calling  them. 

"Come  in  here,  boys!"  he  kept  saying;  and  pres- 
ently they  located  the  voice  as  coming  from  the  liv- 
ing  room,  where  the  fire  had  been  confined,  thanks 
to  their  energetic  labors. 

As  they  pushed  in  there  they  saw  that  it  was 
pretty  much  of  a  wreck;  but  as  the  farmer's  wife 
had  already  told  Thad  they  were  fully  insured,  the 
result  would  be  more  of  an  inconvenience,  and  the 
loss  of  family  treasures,  than  any  great  amount  of 
pecuniary  damage. 

The  farmer  was  standing  at  an  old  desk  that 
was  part  bookcase.  It  had  somehow  managed  to 
escape  the  flames  that  came  upon  most  of  the  con- 
tents of  the  sitting-room. 

"They  got  my  little  pile,  all  right,"  he  started  to 
say,  as  the  scouts  crowded  into  the  damaged  and 
blackened  room,  now  several  inches  deep  with  wa- 
ter; "but  I'm  glad  it  wasn't  very  much.  If  this  had 
happened  three  weeks  ago  I'd  have  stood  to  lose 
several  thousand  dollars,  because  I  sold  a  patch  of 
land,  and  had  the  cash  overnight  in  this  same  desk, 
though  I  banked  it  next  day." 

Thad  was  immediately  deeply  interested.  He 
saw  in  these  significant  words  of  the  farmer  an 
explanation  of  the  mystery  as  to  how  the  fire  could 
have  started. 

"Do  you  mean  to  tell  us  that  you  have  been 
robbed,  sir?"  he  asked;  and  the  old  man  nodded  his 
head. 

"I  woke  up,  and  thought  I  heard  the  low  sound 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  63 

of  voices  downstairs  here,"  he  went  on  to  explain ; 
"so  I  got  out  of  bed,  after  waking  Nancy,  picked 
up  my  gun,  and  came  down  the  stairs.  They  creak 
like  all  get-out,  and  must  'a'  told  the  scamps  some- 
body was  coming.  Just  as  I  got  to  the  door  I  saw 
two  men  by  the  desk  here,  that  they  had  forced 
open;  and  I  guess  they'd  copped  my  little  roll  of 
bills  about  that  time.  Well,  I  was  struck  dumb  at 
the  sight  at  first,  and  then  I  remembered  my  gun; 
but  before  I  could  swing  it  up  to  my  shoulder  one 
of  them  swept  the  lighted  lamp  from  the  table  to 
the  floor. 

"The  flash  that  came  blinded  me,  and  I  forgot 
all  about  the  robbers  in  thinking  about  saving  my 
house.  Then  Nancy  she  came  down,  and  we  got 
busy.  All  at  once  I  remembered  you  boys  in  the 
barn,  and  Hiram,  and  I  started  to  yellin'  at  the 
top  of  my  voice,  but  pitchin'  water  all  the  while. 
That's  how  the  fire  started,  you  see ;  and  we're  sure 
beholdin'  a  heap  to  you  boys  for  helpin'  put  it  out 
as  smart  as  we  did.  It  looks  tough,  for  a  fact,  but 
sho!  it  might  'a'  been  heaps  worse." 

"But  the  dog — what  d'ye  reckon  they  could  have 
done  to  him?"  asked  Giraffe. 

"It  might  be  they  pizened  Toby,"  replied  the 
farmer;  "I  wouldn't  put  it  past  that  tough  pair  to 
do  anything.  But  chances  are  the  dog's  off  to  the 
woods  huntin'  rabbits.  He  often  runs  away  like 
that  and  stays  all  night  long.  If  I  tie  him  up  he 
barks  enough  to  set  us  crazy.  I'll  have  to  get  rid 
of  him,  and  find  a  better  watchdog." 

"Well,  things  are  getting  warmer  right  along, 
aip't  they?"  Step  Hen  wanted  to  know.  "A  fire 


64  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

was  bad  enough,  but  when  you  find  out  that  it  was 
started  by  thieves,  and  that  they  actually  robbed  the 
house  first,  it  gets  more  and  more  exciting.  Now 
the  Silver  Fox  Patrol  has  done  something  along 
lines  like  that  before;  and  mebbe  we  might  again, 
given  half  a  fair  chance." 

"I  suppose  the  two  men  didn't  wait  to  see  what 
happened  after  they  had  knocked  the  lamp  over, 
and  the  flames  shot  up?"  remarked  Allan,  thought- 
fully ;  and  the  farmer  was  quick  to  reply. 

"They  cleared  out  in  a  big  hurry,  because  I  didn't 
see  anything  more  of  the  pair,"  he  admitted.  "But 
then  they  got  what  they  came  after,  and  that  satis- 
fied the  rascals.  And  I  don't  reckon  there's  a  single 
chance  in  ten  I'll  ever  recover  that  fifty  dollars, 
barring  twenty  cents,  that  I  got  for  the  last  two 
loads  of  hay  I  took  into  town.  But  then  my  house 
is  left,  and  we'll  get  some  insurance  to  pay  for  re- 
pairs, so  I'm  not  complaining.  There's  only  one 
thing  that  makes  me  mad." 

"What  was  that,  Mr.  Bailey  ?"  asked  Davy,  deeply 
interested. 

"That  I  was  so  stunned  at  sight  of  them  fellers 
robbin'  my  desk  I  forgot  I  had  an  old  Civil  War 
musket  in  my  hands.  I  had  ought  to've  let  fly, 
and  knocked  one  of  the  pizen  critters  silly.  I'll 
never  forgive  myself  for  bein'  so  slow  to  act." 

Thad  had  his  own  ideas  about  that.  Had  the 
farmer  fired  that  long-barreled  musket  at  such  close 
range  he  would  possibly  have  killed  one  of  the  men  ; 
and  whether  such  a  tragedy  would  have  been  jus- 
tified under  the  circumstances  was  and  must  remain 
an  open  question.  If  his  life  had  been  threatened 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  65 

of  course  the  farmer  would  have  done  right  to 
defend  himself  to  the  utmost;  but  Thad  believed 
that  had  it  been  him  he  would  have  allowed  the 
men  to  get  some  distance  away  before  sending  a 
load  of  shot  at  them,  his  object  being  to  wound 
and  not  slay. 

It  was  certainly  good,  however,  to  find  that  Mr. 
Bailey  took  things  so  philosophically  all  around. 
Some  men  would  have  been  bewailing  their  mis- 
fortune, and  never  once  seeing  how  much  they  had 
to  be  thankful  for. 

"Do  you  think  you  would  know  either  or  both  of 
them  again  if  you  happened  to  set  eyes  on  them, 
sir?"  asked  the  patrol  leader,  with  an  object  in 
view. 

"I  saw  them  faces  as  plain  as  I  do  yours,  my 
boy,"  responded  the  farmer,  soberly,  "and  I'm  dead 
sartin  I'd  know  'em  again.  Why — whatever  am  I 
thinkin'  about,  to  be  sure?  Say,  you  boys  ought 
to  know  that  you've  got  nigh  as  much  interest  in 
findin'  them  tramps  as  I  feel.  You  wonder  why  I 
say  that,  do  you?  I'll  explain  it  to  you  in  a  jiffy. 
Listen  then.  One  of  the  thieves  had  red  hair,  and 
he  was  wearin'  an  old  faded  blue  army  coat  with 
red  lining  in  it.  That's  why !" 

It  seemed  as  though  every  one  of  those  eight 
scouts  drew  a  deep  breath  that  had  the  sound  of  a 
sigh.  They  looked  at  one  another,  at  first  with 
wonder  in  their  faces,  and  then  Giraffe  was  heard 
to  give  vent  to  what  he  intended  should  be  a  joyous 
chuckle.  The  sound  was  contagious,  for  immedi- 
ately broad  smiles  began  to  appear  here  and  there, 
and  there  was  a  general  hand-shaking  as  though 


66  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

the  news  were  deemed  important  enough  to  make 
them  congratulate  each  other. 

It  was  a  fact  calculated  to  make  them  feel  that 
the  long  chase  had  not  been  useless,  when  they 
thus  learned  so  suddenly  that  the  man  they  hunted 
had  been  almost  in  their  power  half  an  hour  before. 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  67 


g 

t 


f- 

CHAPTER  VII. 

ON    THE    RIVER    ROAD. 

"WELL,  wouldn't  that  give  you  a  heart-ache, 
now?"  remarked  Giraffe,  making  a  wry  face,  as  he 
looked  at  his  seven  mates. 

"Just  to  think  of  it!"  exclaimed  Bumpus,  "we 
were  all  sleeping  sweetly  like  babes  in  the  woods, 
out  there  in  the  hay,  while  our  game  passed  us  by. 
A  healthy  lot  of  scouts  we  seem  like,  don't  we? 
When  people  hear  of  this  they'll  vote  us  a  leather 
medal.  Always  on  guard,  hey?  Never  letting  a 
single  thing  worth  while  slipping  through  our  fin- 
gers? Oh!  my  stars,  somebody  fan  me!" 

Thad  laughed  at  the  fat  scout. 

"I  wouldn't  feel  so  bad  if  I  were  you,  Bumpus," 
he  remonstrated ;  "there's  nothing  on  us  that  I  can 
see.  This  happened  to  be  an  accident  that  we 
couldn't  help.  How  were  we  to  guess  that  the  man 
we  came  after  would  drop  in  here  and  rob  the 
farmer?  The  fortunes  of  war,  Bumpus.  Besides, 
it  gives  us  a  pointer.  We  know  now  that  Wander- 
ing George  isn't  far  ahead  of  us;  and  we're  going 
to  catch  up  with  him  before  a  great  while." 

"That's  the  way  to  talk,  Thad !"  commented  Step 
Hen.  "We  never  give  up  when  we  get  started  on 
a  game.  Keeping  everlastingly  at  it  is  what  wins 
most  of  all.  George  was  kind  to  leave  his  card 


68  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

behind  him;  and  in  the  morning  we'll  start  out 
fresh  on  the  trail." 

It  would  appear  from  this  that  none  of  the  others 
felt  at  all  depressed  because  of  the  strange  happen- 
ing ;  and  realizing  this  even  Bumpus  was  soon  look- 
ing satisfied  again.  The  farmer  declared  he  would 
not  try  to  sleep  any  more  that  night,  but  as  for  the 
scouts  they  could  see  no  reason  why  anyone  else 
should  follow  his  example,  when  that  sweet  hay 
called  so  loudly. 

The  consequence  was  that  before  long  there  was 
an  exodus  to  the  barn,  for  since  the  small  hours  of 
the  morning  had  come  the  air  was  decidedly  cool, 
and  none  of  them  felt  comfortable. 

Nothing  more  developed  during  the  remainder  of 
that  night,  and  the  first  thing  some  of  the  sleepers 
knew  they  were  hearing  the  bugle  sounding  the 
reveille.  Bumpus  had  been  aroused  by  Allan  poking 
him  in  the  ribs,  and  telling  him  it  was  sun-up;  for 
somehow  the  two  had  bored  into  the  hay  together 
the  second  time. 

Giraffe  attended  to  the  fire,  as  usual,  and  as  every- 
body wanted  to  get  warm  there  was  no  lack  of 
cooks.  The  work  of  the  farm  had  started  long 
before,  and  already  the  girls  were  coming  in  with 
full  buckets  of  new  milk ;  while  the  cackling  of  many 
hens  announced  that  the  biddies  were  giving  an 
account  of  themselves. 

As  the  boys  gathered  around  and  started  to  par- 
take of  their  breakfast  the  farmer  and  his  family 
poured  out  of  the  house  bearing  all  manner  of  addi- 
tions to  the  menu,  even  to  a  couple  of  apple  pies, 
which  seems  to  be  a  standard  early  morning  dish 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  69 

in  the  country  along  the  Susquehanna,  even  as 
doughnuts  are  in  New  England. 

Of  course  the  boys  fared  like  kings,  and  would 
not  soon  forget  that  splendid  breakfast.  When 
they  packed  their  kits  ready  to  make  a  fresh  start, 
the  girls  insisted  on  pressing  various  little  addi- 
tions to  their  larder  upon  them,  so  that  what  with 
the  apples,  cookies,  and  the  like,  some  of  the  boys 
could  hardly  manage  to  strap  up  their  haversacks. 

And  there  was  Hiram  looking  so  forlorn  over 
their  going  that  Thad  took  pity  on  the  poor  fellow. 

"I'm  going  to  remember  you,  Hiram,"  he  told  the 
farmhand,  as  he  squeezed  his  b'g  hand  warmly, 
"and  after  we  get  home  I'll  send  you  a  bunch  of 
reading  matter  in  connection  with  this  scout  move- 
ment, as  well  as  several  cracking  good  books  that 
have  been  written  covering  the  activities  of  our 
Silver  Fox  Patrol." 

"Gosh!  I  hope  yeou  do  that  same!"  ejaculated 
Hiram,  brightening  up;  "  'cause  I'm  jest  bustin'  to 
larn  all  about  it.  I'd  give  a  heap  if  I  ever  hed  a 
chanct  to  wear  a  suit  like  them  be,  an'  camp  out  in 
the  woods.  I  hearn  thar  be  a  troop  o'  scouts 
a-formin'  over  in  Hicksville,  an'  by  jinks  I'm  a-goin' 
to  put  in  a  application,  as  sure's  my  name's  Hiram 
Spinks!" 

"I  hope  you  do,  Hiram,"  the  patrol  leader  told 
him,  "and  if  I  can  do  anything  at  any  time  to  help 
out,  let  me  know.  First  of  all  I'm  going  to  mail 
you  an  extra  handbook  or  Boy  Scout  Manual  I've 
got  knocking  around  home;  and  if  you're  feeling  a 
touch  of  the  fever  now,  that's  guaranteed  to  give 
it  to  you  ten  times  worse." 


70  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

So  they  said  good-by  to  the  hospitable  farmer 
and  his  family,  none  of  whom  would  accept  a  single 
cent  in  return  for  what  they  had  done  for  the 
scouts.  Indeed,  they  vehemently  declared  they  were 
heavily  in  the  boys'  debt  on  account  of  their  having 
helped  save  the  farmhouse  after  it  had  been  set 
on  fire  by  the  action  of  the  hobo  thieves,  surprised 
at  their  work  of  robbing  the  farmer's  desk. 

Thad  had  been  off  somewhere  while  the  rest  were 
finishing  their  packing.  When  he  came  back  Allan, 
who  noticed  the  expression  on  the  face  of  the  patrol 
leader,  guessed  he  must  have  met  with  a  certain 
amount  of  success.  Apparently  he  knew  what  the 
other  had  started  out  to  find;  at  least  his  first  re- 
mark made  it  look  that  way. 

"Well,  was  it  there,  Thad  ?"  he  observed. 

"As  plain  as  print,"  came  the  immediate  reply, 
accompanied  with  a  smile  of  'satisfaction,  such  as  a 
fellow  may  assume  when  he  is  in  a  position  to  say 
"I  told  you  so!" 

"That  is,  the  track  of  a  broken  shoe  which  has 
the  sole  held  in  place  by  a  rag  bound  about  it,  hobo 
fashion?"  continued  Allan. 

"Yes,  and  belonging  to  the  right  foot  at  that,  just 
as  we  learned  long  ago  was  the  case  with  Wander- 
ing George,"  Thad  continued. 

"Where  did  you  run  across  the  trail?"  questioned 
Allan. 

"I'll  show  you  when  we're  leaving  here,"  he  was 
told.  "It's  so  plain  even  a  tenderfoot  couldn't  miss 
seeing  the  same.  And  when  the  road  is  reached 
you  can  follow  it  for  some  little  distance." 

"Toward  the  river,  Thad  ?" 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  71 

"Yes,  in  an  easterly  direction,"  answered  the 
leader  of  the  patrol;  "and  that  just  suits  us  right 
up  to  the  notch,  you  know.  But  the  boys  are  ready 
to  start,  so  we'd  better  be  hiking  out." 

The  last  they  saw  of  the  farmer  and  his  family 
the  two  girls  were  waving  their  sun-bonnets  wildly, 
while  the  older  people  contented  themselves  with 
making  use  of  their  hands.  This  little  visit  of  the 
scouts  had  made  a  very  enjoyable  break  in  the 
monotony  of  their  lives,  and  would  not  be  soon 
forgotten. 

As  for  Hiram,  he  had  received  permission  to  ac- 
company the  boys  for  a  mile  along  the  road ;  though 
Thad  had  solemnly  promised  the  farmer  to  send  him 
back  in  due  time,  for  there  were  daily  chores  to  be 
looked  after  that  could  not  be  neglected. 

While  some  of  the  others,  notably  Bumpus  and 
Smithy  and  Davy,  were  paying  attention  to  answer- 
ing the  fervent  signals  of  the  jolly  country  girls, 
Thad  was  showing  Allan,  Giraffe,  Bob  White  and 
Step  Hen  the  plain  impression  of  the  marked  shoe 
belonging,  as  they  very  well  knew,  to  the  particular 
tramp  whom  they  were  so  anxious  to  overtake. 

How  Hiram  did  listen  eagerly  to  every  word 
that  was  uttered,,  and  even  got  down  on  his  hands 
and  knees  to  scrutinize  that  impression.  He  had  of 
course  hunted  at  times,  as  every  country  boy  does, 
and  shot  his  quota  of  small  game  like  rabbits,  squir- 
rels, quail  and  woodcock ;  yet  knew  next  to  nothing 
concerning  the  real  delights  of  woodcraft.  But  the 
seed  had  taken  root  in  Hiram's  soul,  and  would 
sprout  from  that  time  on.  The  coming  of  these 
scouts  had  aroused  an  ambition  within  him,  and  he 


72  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

could  never  again  be  the  same  contented  plodder 
that  he  had  seemed  to  be  in  the  past. 

Down  the  road  the  boys  walked  at  a  brisk  pace, 
chatting  and  joking  as  they  went  on.  Those  in  the 
van  of  course  had  the  task  of  keeping  in  touch  with 
the  tracks  and  every  once  in  a  while  they  made 
sure  that  these  could  still  be  discovered  in  the  rather 
soft  soil  alongside  the  road. 

When  the  mile  had  been  passed  and  more  Thad 
reminded  Hiram  of  his  promise,  and  in  turn  every 
scout  pressed  the  big  fellow's  hard  hand  warmly. 
So  they  passed  out  of  Hiram's  life;  but  the  result 
of  his  meeting  these  wide-awake  scouts  was  destined 
to  mark  an  epoch  in  the  career  of  that  country  boy, 
a  turning  point  in  his  destiny  as  it  were. 

The  day  was  another  gloomy  one. 

It  seemed  as  though  Nature  might  be  frowning 
her  worst,  and  giving  all  sorts  of  portentous  signs 
concerning  what  was  coming  before  long.  If  any- 
thing the  damp  feeling  in  the  air  had  grown  more 
pronounced  than  before,  which  would  indicate  to  a 
weather  prophet  the  approach  of  wet  weather. 

It  takes  considerable  to  dampen  the  enthusiasm 
of  lively  scouts,  however ;  and  as  the  morning  crept 
along  they  continued  to  make  merry  as  they  plodded 
on  their  way. 

It  was  about  eleven  o'clock  when  a  shout  from 
Giraffe  in  the  front  announced  a  discovery  of  some 
moment.  Trust  "Old  Eagle  Eye"  for  finding  out 
things  ahead  of  others;  he  was  not  gifted  with  that 
keenness  of  vision  for  nothing. 

"What  is  it,  the  river  at  last?"  called  Bumpus, 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  73 

between  puffs,  for  the  pace  was  fast  enough  to 
make  the  stout  scout  breathe  hard. 

"That's  what  it  is,  as  sure  as  you  live !"  exclaimed 
Step  Hen. 

"And  let  me  tell  you,  suh,  she  looks  mighty  fine 
to  me,"  remarked  Bob  White,  who  was  particularly 
fond  of  the  water,  and  a  good  boatman  as  well  as 
canoeist. 

"Whew!  Strikes  me  the  old  Susquehanna  must 
be  on  a  tear  already!"  came  from  Bumpus,  as  he 
caught  his  first  glimpse  of  the  wide  expanse  of 
flowing  water. 

"It  is  pretty  high  for  a  fact!"  Smithy  admitted; 
"I'm  somewhat  familiar  with  the  river,  because  I 
visited  here  several  summers;  and  I  never  saw  so 
much  water  running  down  between  its  banks." 

The  road  they  were  following,  upon  drawing 
near  the  river,  turned  sharply  to  the  south.  After 
that  the  boys  knew  they  must  be  within  reaching 
distance  of  the  water  as  long  as  they  kept  to  that 
thoroughfare;  though  of  course  should  they  learn, 
through  the  tracks  they  followed,  that  the  hobo 
wearing  the  old  army  coat  had  taken  to  a  side  path 
they  would  be  compelled  to  do  the  same. 

Occasionally  they  came  to  an  isolated  house,  and 
once  passed  through  a  small  hamlet ;  but  made  sure 
to  find  the  trail  beyond,  showing  that  Wandering 
George  had  safely  navigated  through  the  outpost 
of  civilization,  and  not  been  locked  up.  In  fact, 
Thad  was  of  the  opinion  that  the  pair  of  nomads 
must  have  circled  around  the  village  on  general 
principles.  After  having  been  discovered  in  the 
act  of  robbing  the  farmer's  home  bank  they  may 


74  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

have  feared  arrest ;  and  while  one  hid  in  the  thickets 
the  other  possibly  ventured  into  the  village  in  order 
to  purchase  supplies,  principally  strong  drink  at  the 
tavern. 

No  matter  what  their  tactics  may  have  been,, 
the  pair  still  held  to  the  river  road,  and  that  was 
sufficient  for  the  scouts  who  followed  the  trail. 

"What  do  you  make  of  it,  Thad  ?"  asked  Giraffe, 
after  he  had  seen  the  leader  and  Allan  closely  exam- 
ining a  pretty  fair  footprint  left  by  the  tramp; 
"and  are  we  a  long  ways  behind  right  now?" 

"It  isn't  an  easy  thing  to  say,"  he  was  told,  "be- 
cause we  haven't  much  to  go  by,  you  see,  and  have 
to  figure  it  out  on  general  principles;  but  we've 
concluded  that  this  print  is  about  two  hours  old; 
and  that  the  men  are  taking  it  fairly  easy  as  tramps 
walk." 

"Every  once  in  so  often  they  stop,  and  sit  down 
on  a  log  that  looks  inviting,  as  you  see  they  did 
here,"  Allan  added,  pointing  as  he  spoke.  "We 
figure  they  must  have  invested  some  of  the  stolen 
money  in  whisky  at  that  village  tavern,  and  that 
every  time  they  stop  they  indulge  themselves  in  a 
good  swig." 

"Just  what  they  do,  Allan!"  announced  Step 
Hen,  who  had  been  aimlessly  prowling  around  on 
the  border  of  the  road  back  of  the  log  where  the 
tramps  had  rested;  "see  here  what  I've  picked  up. 
That  flask  must  have  held  a  full  pint,  and  it's  been 
drained  to  the  last  drop.  More  where  that  came 
from;  and  chances  are  before  long  we  may  run 
across  our  men  sprawled  out  in  the  bushes  in  a 
drunken  sleep." 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  75 

"Well,  as  most  tramps  can  soak  in  any  amount 
of  bug  juice  without  showing  signs  of  it,"  Giraffe 
ventured,  "you  mustn't  count  too  heavy  on  that 
same ;  though  it'd  be  a  bully  good  thing  for  us,  as 
we  could  get  back  the  Judge's  blue  overcoat  without 
any  row.  The  question  is,  ought  we  to  arrest 
the  hoboes  on  account  of  what  they  did  up  at 
Bailey's  farm?" 

"We  won't  cross  that  river  till  we  come  to  it, 
Giraffe,"  laughed  Thad;  but  all  the  same  some  of 
the  scouts  felt  positive  their  leader  had  his  plan  of 
campaign  mapped  out  already,  because  that  was  his 
invariable  rule,  so  as  not  to  be  taken  unawares. 

Another  half  hour  passed.  Just  ahead  of  them 
was  a  small  cabin  between  the  road  and  the  river. 
A  fenced-in  patch  showed  where  the  occupants  man- 
aged to  have  a  little  garden  in  season. 

"What  ails  that  woman  standing  there  and  call- 
ing out,  d'ye  suppose?"  remarked  Step  Hen,  as  they 
were  passing  the  cottage. 

"She  seems  to  be  bothered  some,  if  you  can  judge 
by  the  way  she  waves  her  hands,  and  keeps  on  beck- 
oning," Giraffe  went  on  to  say,  becoming  interested. 
"She's  facing  out  on  the  river,  too,  you  notice. 
Now,  I  wouldn't  be  surprised  if  she's  got  a  cub  of 
a  boy  who's  gone  out  further  than  he  ought  to 
on  the  swift  current  in  some  tub  of  a  boat,  and 
she's  trying  to  make  him  come  ashore.  There, 
didn't  you  hear  her  yell  to  Johnny  to  come  back 
at  once?  And  here's  where  the  bushes  end,  so  we 
can  see  for  ourselves." 

It  turned  out  that  Giraffe  was  correct,  for  there 
was  a  makeshift  of  a  boat  out  on  the  current  of  the 


76  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

river,  containing  a  boy  who  was  clumsily  trying 
to  turn  its  head  in  the  direction  of  the  shore.  The 
obstructions  in  the  Susquehanna  make  it  a  very 
treacherous  stream,  with  eddies  and  stealthy  cur- 
rents that  take  one  unawares,  and  "Johnny"  was 
making  a  sorry  mess  of  his  work,  Thad  saw  at  a 
glance. 

"He's  apt  to  get  upset  if  he  doesn't  take  care!" 
exclaimed  Bob  White,  who  knew  the  signs  all  too 
well. 

The  woman  kept  shouting  and  no  doubt  this  dis- 
tracted the  boy  more  or  less,  causing  him  to  lose 
his  head.  In  fact  he  did  just  what  he  should  never 
have  done ;  for  when  the  bow  of  his  boat  ran  up  on 
a  partly  submerged  rock  he  let  go  the  oars,  picked 
one  up,  and  rising  to  his  feet  stepped  forward  to 
push  the  craft  off  again. 

"Sit  down!"  shouted  Thad,  between  his  hands; 
but  if  the  boy  heard  he  gave  no  sign  of  obeying, 
his  one  thought  being  to  push  his  oar  against  the 
obstruction,  and  get  the  boat  moving  free  again. 

Then  came  a  shriek  from  the  poor  mother.  The 
current  had  got  in  its  treacherous  work,  just  as 
Thad  and  some  of  his  chums  had  expected  would 
be  the  case. 

"He's  gone  in,  and  the  boat  turned  turtle !"  cried 
Step  Hen,  aghast. 

"Help!  oh!  somebody  save  my  poor  Johnny,  be- 
cause he  can't  swim  a  stroke !"  shrieked  the  woman, 
wringing  her  hands,  and  appealing  to  the  detach- 
ment of  scouts,  of  whose  presence  near  the  spot  of 
the  tragedy  she  had  just  become  aware. 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  77 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

USEFUL    KNOWLEDGE. 

THAT  was  a  time  for  rapid  action,  and  not  talk. 
No  one  knew  this  better  than  the  leader  of  the 
Silver  Fox  Patrol.  At  the  same  time,  if  he  wished 
to  render  assistance  to  the  imperiled  lad  it  was 
necessary  that  he  give  a  few  quick  directions  to  his 
chums,  so  they  could  all  work  together  toward 
that  end. 

"Allan,  the  rest  of  you  hurry  along  and  get  be- 
low !  Giraffe,  back  me  up,  will  you  ?  I  know  what 
you  can  do  in  cold  water.  We've  just  got  to  save 
that  boy,  and  that's  all  there  is  to  it.  Come  along, 
Giraffe." 

The  tall  scout  never  hesitated  for  even  a  single 
second.  He  understood  that  it  would  be  necessary 
for  both  of  them  to  plunge  into  that  flood  of  water, 
cold  from  the  melting  snows  further  toward  the 
source  of  the  river ;  but  Giraffe  was  known  for  his 
boldness,  and  a  little  thing  like  that  could  not 
frighten  him.  Why,  on  one  occasion  he  had  plunged 
into  a  burning  woods,  and  performed  prodigies  of 
valor ;  what  was  an  ice- water  bath  to  him  but  a  little 
episode  ? 

Both  boys  as  they  hurried  toward  the  brink  of 
the  river  commenced  to  shed  their  outer  garments, 
having  discarded  other  impedimenta  like  their 


78  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

haversacks  the  first  thing.  In  this  way  Thad  knew 
he  would  be  "killing  two  birds  with  one  stone,"  for 
they  must  be  impeded  with  clinging  clothes  when 
swimming;  and  after  they  came  out  it  was  bound 
to  feel  very  cold,  so  that  these  dry  garments  must 
come  in  handy. 

"Jump  in  here,  Giraffe,  and  I'll  drop  down  a 
little  further!"  he  shouted,  as  the  two  of  them 
came  upon  the  river  bank. 

A  quick  look  out  on  the  rolling  current  had  shown 
him  how  affairs  stood  just  then.  He  saw  that  the 
frantic  boy  was  clinging  to  the  overturned  boat, 
which  was  swirling  around  in  the  eddies,  and  swing- 
ing downstream  at  quite  a  rapid  rate.  He  lost  his 
grip  even  as  Thad  looked,  and  the  heart  of  the 
scout  seemed  to  leap  into  his  throat  with  dread. 
Then  the  boy  somehow  managed  to  regain  his  hold, 
but  he  seemed  to  be  so  excited  and  frightened  that 
there  was  danger  of  his  slipping  away  again  at  any 
second;  and  being  weakened  by  exposure  the 
chances  of  his  once  more  recovering  his  slender 
hold  could  not  be  worth  much. 

Thad  did  not  waste  a  single  second.  He  was 
hurrying  along  even  when  taking  this  look  toward 
the  scene  of  the  catastrophe  and  figuring  just  where 
to  jump  into  the  water  at  the  same  time. 

In  deciding  this  he  had  to  take  into  considera- 
tion the  length  of  time  that  might  ensue  before  he 
could  expect  to  push  out  to  where  the  overturned 
boat  was  going  to  pass;  also  the  strength  of  the 
current  that  was  bringing  the  wreck  down  toward 
him. 

Although  the  water  felt  like  ice  when  he  started 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  79 

in  Thad  did  not  allow  that  fact  to  bother  him  a 
particle.  He  shot  a  glance  upstream,  and  saw  that 
already  Giraffe  had  reached  deep  water  so  that  he 
was  compelled  to  swim.  The  sight  of  him  buffeting 
the  waves  gave  Thad  considerable  satisfaction; 
though  he  feared  that  the  boy  clinging  to  the  slip- 
pery bottom  of  the  boat  might  disappear  before 
either  of  the  intended  rescuers  could  reach  him. 

Meanwhile  the  other  six  scouts  had  started  on  a 
run  down  the  road,  it  being  the  intention  of  Allan 
to  have  them  where  they  could  render  assistance 
in  getting  the  others  ashore,  because  those  in  the 
water  would  likely  be  exhausted,  even  if  all  went 
well. 

Then  Thad  reached  a  "step-off"  and  plunging  in 
over  his  head  was  compelled  to  swim  for  it,  which 
he  did  right  valiantly,  constantly  keeping  tabs  on 
the  oncoming  boat,  and  still  hoping  that  the  boy 
might  maintain  his  hold  until  either  Giraffe  or  him- 
self could  lend  a  helping  hand. 

All  at  once  he  felt  a  chill  that  was  not  caused  by 
the  icy  water,  for  the  poor  fellow  had  again  slipped 
back  into  the  churning  water.  But  Thad  and 
Giraffe  were  closing  in  on  him,  with  the  latter  in  a 
position  to  glimpse  the  still  struggling  lad  ere  he 
finally  went  down. 

With  the  crisis  upon  him  Thad  dived,  while 
Giraffe  started  to  tread  water,  and  hold  himself  in 
readiness  to  help  should  his  chum  meet  with  any 
success.  It  seemed  an  interminable  time  to  the 
lengthy  scout  before  he  saw  Thad  reappear.  At 
first  he  feared  the  patrol  leader  must  have  missed 
connections  with  the  drowning  boy;  and  then  he 


80  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

made  the  pleasing  discovery  to  the  contrary,  for 
Thad  was  gripping  Johnny  tightly  with  one  arm, 
as  he  swam  with  the  other. 

Giraffe  shot  toward  him  as  fast  as  he  could  go, 
and  in  another  moment  the  two  scouts  were  putting 
into  practice  something  that  all  scouts  learn  as  a  part 
of  their  preparedness,  when  trying  to  rescue  a  com- 
rade who  has  been  seized  with  a  cramp  while  swim- 
ming— holding  the  unconscious  lad  between  them, 
with  his  head  kept  well  above  the  water,  they  started 
toward  the  bank,  swimming  with  sturdy  and  well- 
regulated  strokes. 

When  they  drew  near  enough  for  one  of  the 
others  who  had  waded  in  up  to  his  waist  to  reach 
out  a  hand,  it  came  easier;  and  in  this  way  they 
bore  the  rescued  boy  ashore. 

Thad  was  already  shivering  with  the  cold,  but 
he  kept  his  wits  about  him,  and  gave  such  orders 
as  he  saw  were  necessary. 

Allan  and  several  of  the  other  scouts  were  di- 
rected to  try  and  resuscitate  the  apparently  drowned 
boy;  while  Bumpus  and  Smithy  started  as  big  a 
fire  as  they  could  manage,  so  that  all  of  them  might 
warm  up. 

Meanwhile  Thad  and  Giraffe  jumped  around,  and 
slapped  their  arms  furiously  in  the  endeavor  to  get 
up  a  good  circulation  of  blood. 

The  poor  woman  came  upon  them  at  this  unfor- 
tunate moment,  while  Allan  kneeling  over  the  wet 
form  of  her  boy  was  kneading  his  chest  after  the 
most  approved  fashion  known  to  life-savers;  and  a 
couple  of  the  other  fellows  were  working  his  arms 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  81 

back  and  forth  above  his  head  as  though  they 
gripped  pump-handles. 

"Oh !  he's  dead,  my  boy  Johnny  is  dead !"  wailed 
the  mother,  starting  to  throw  herself  upon  the 
group ;  when  Bob  White,  although  full  of  sympathy 
for  her  harrowed  feelings,  knew  that  to  stop  the 
proceedings  just  then  might  end  what  hope  there 
existed  for  saving  a  life. 

Accordingly,  he  caught  her  in  his  arms,  and  in- 
sisted in  restraining  her,  at  the  same  time  speaking 
words  of  hope  and  cheer. 

"You  mustn't  interfere  with  them,  ma'am,"  he 
told  her  soothingly;  "they've  got  the  water  out  of 
his  lungs,  and  are  trying  to  start  artificial  breath- 
ing by  pumping  him  that  way.  There's  lots  of  hope 
he'll  come  out  all  right,  because  he  wasn't  under  the 
water  long.  Why,  I  believe  I  saw  his  eyelid  flutter 
right  then.  Yes,  suh,  it  did  the  same  again.  It's 
a  fact,  and  you're  bringing  him  along  handsomely, 
fellows.  So  you  see,  ma'am,  you're  not  going  to 
lose  Johnny  after  all!" 

The  woman  knelt  there,  awed,  and  watched  the 
slow  recovery  of  her  boy.  After  a  little  while  he 
began  to  breathe  naturally;  then  his  eyes  opened, 
and  he  even  made  an  effort  to  struggle,  possibly 
being  still  impressed  with  the  horror  of  his  recent 
peril. 

Before  that  time  the  fire  had  got  to  burning  splen- 
didly, and  both  boys  who  had  been  in  the  river 
crowded  as  close  to  the  warmth  as  possible,  feeling 
much  better  on  account  of  it.  Thad,  too,  could 
think  again,  and  direct  his  chums  what  to  do.  One 
of  them  ran  to  the  cabin  and  came  back  with  a 


82  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

blanket,  which  was  wrapped  around  the  now  re- 
covered but  shivering  Johnny;  after  which  Step 
Hen  and  Allan  assisted  the  small  boy  to  reach  his 
home,  with  the  rejoicing  mother  following  at  their 
heels,  crying  now,  but  with  happiness. 

Allan  told  her  just  what  to  do  in  order  that  no 
ill  effect,  such  as  pneumonia,  should  follow  the 
immersion,  and  she  promised  to  keep  him  in  bed, 
and  give  him  warm  liquid  food  until  he  was  feeling 
himself  again. 

When  the  two  scouts  turned  to  leave  her  the  poor 
woman  kissed  them  both,  much  to  their  confusion; 
for  they  felt  that  the  thanks  were  due  to  Thad  and 
Giraffe,  if  anybody,  since  they  were  the  ones  who 
had  risked  something  in  order  to  save  the  drown- 
ing boy. 

Of  course  this  was  going  to  detain  them  for  per- 
haps an  hour,  because  those  who  had  been  in  the 
water  wished  to  thoroughly  dry  their  clothes,  at 
least  such  as  they  had  taken  with  them  into  the 
river. 

Both  had  been  wise  enough  to  tear  off  leggins  and 
shoes  before  leaving  the  shore,  as  swimming  would 
have  been  next  to  impossible  otherwise;  and  this 
counted  considerably  in  their  favor  now. 

While  they  sat  around  the  blaze,  waiting  until 
Thad  gave  the  signal  for  another  start,  the  boys 
thought  it  wise  to  make  their  noonday  meal,  so  they 
would  not  have  to  stop  again. 

Of  course  the  talk  was  pretty  much  all  upon  the 
subject  of  rescuing  persons  who  were  in  danger  of 
being  drowned ;  and  also  of  resuscitating  those  who 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  83 

had  been  pulled  out  of  the  water  apparently  far 
gone. 

Thad,  as  usual,  did  not  let  the  chance  slip  to  de- 
liver a  few  telling  remarks  connected  with  a  knowl- 
edge of  certain  kinds  which  all  scouts  are  required 
to  attain  before  they  can  become  shining  lights  in 
the  profession,  or  hope  to  rise  to  the  position  of 
second  or  first  class  scouts. 

"If  there's  one  splendid  thing  this  scout  business 
has  done  for  boys  above  another,"  he  went  on  to 
say,  as  they  sat  around  the  fire,  "I  think  it  is  the 
fact  that  every  tenderfoot  has  to  learn  how  to  swim 
during  his  first  season  in  camp.  How  many  thou- 
sands of  lives  might  have  been  saved  in  the  past 
if  all  boys  over  eight  years  of  age  had  been  taught 
how  to  keep  themselves  afloat  in  the  water.  If 
the  movement  had  never  done  a  single  thing  more 
than  that  it  would  deserve  to  be  reckoned  the  finest 
thing  that  ever  happened  for  American  youth." 

"Yes,"  Giraffe  went  on  to  add,  "and  think  how 
many  a  fellow  has  been  saved  from  drowning,  just 
as  little  Johnny  here  was,  first  by  being  taken  from 
the  water,  and  then  in  having  the  spark  of  life 
coaxed  back.  You  worked  that  as  fine  as  anything 
I  ever  saw,  Allan,  and  the  rest  of  you.  Thad  and 
me  felt  so  shivery  cold  I'm  afraid  we  couldn't  have 
done  it  alone  by  ourselves.  A  whole  lot  of  the 
credit  goes  to  the  rest  of  you,  and  we  want  you  to 
know  that.  It  was  a  patrol  rescue,  and  something 
the  boys  of  the  Silver  Fox  can  be  proud  of  always." 

That  was  just  like  Giraffe,  who  could  be  one  of 
the  most  generous-hearted  fellows  ever  known  when 
he  wanted  to.  That  he  felt  considerable  remorse 


-84  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

because  of  his  reckless  way  of  sending  poor  Bum- 
pus  into  that  field  with  the  angry  mother  cow 
had  been  patent  to  Thad  early  that  morning,  when 
he  saw  Giraffe  asking  Bumpus  to  lean  on  him,  after 
the  stout  scout  had  mentioned  the  fact  that  he  was 
feeling  somewhat  stiff  following  his  unusual  ex- 
ertions of  the  previous  day. 

"According  to  my  notion,"  Step  Hen  broke  in 
with,  "no  boy  should  ever  be  allowed  to  go  out  in 
a  boat  on  the  water  unless  he  knows  how  to  swim." 

"I  agree  with  you  there,  Step  Hen,"  the  patrol 
leader  added;  "and  yet  how  often  you  see  boys 
taking  the  greatest  kind  of  chances,  when  if  an 
upset  comes  along  they're  as  helpless  as  babies. 
That  mother  has  learned  a  lesson;  and  chances  are 
Johnny  never  goes  in  a  boat  again  till  he  can  swim 
like  a  fish." 

"But  boys  are  not  the  only  ones  who  take  such 
chances,"  Allan  argued ;  "why,  in  the  days  gone  by 
when  nearly  all  ships  were  sailing  vessels,  and  not 
steamers,  it  wasn't  a  strange  thing  to  find  dozens 
of  old  jack  tars  who  had  spent  their  whole  lives 
at  sea,  and  yet  never  swam  a  stroke.  It  seems  queer, 
and  hard  to  believe,  but  I've  heard  men  tell  that 
who  knew." 

"Things  are  going  to  be  different  after  this, 
then,"  said  Davy,  "because  every  Boy  Scout  has  got 
to  learn  how  to  swim,  or  he'll  stay  a  tenderfoot  all 
his  days;  and  no  one  wants  to  do  that,  you  know." 

"What  happened  to  the  boat ;  none  of  you  thought 
to  rescue  that  at  the  same  time?"  Smithy  wanted 
to  know. 

"Oh!  it  wasn't  worth  saving,"  Giraffe  told  him; 


85- 


"and  after  what  happened,  Johnny's  mother  would 
never  want  to  see  it  again.  We  had  our  hands  too 
full  getting  him  to  the  bank  to  bother  about  that 
cranky  old  junk.  It'll  bring  up  somewhere  below, 
like  as  not,  or  else  float  out  on  the  Chesapeake  Bay 
around  Havre  de  Grace,  where  they  used  to  have 
such  great  duck  shooting  years  ago,  because  of 
the  wild  celery  beds  that  grew  there." 

Giraffe  was  fond  of  hunting,  and  knew  con- 
siderable in  connection  with  his  favorite  sport, 
which  information  he  delighted  to  Impart  to  his- 
chums  at  divers  times  and  on  sundry  occasions. 
Once  upon  a  time  he  had  been  like  most  thought- 
less boys,  so  intent  on  filling  his  gamebag,  or  catch- 
ing a  record  number  of  fish,  that  slaughter  counted 
little  with  him ;  but  after  joining  the  troop  Giraffe- 
had  learned  what  a  true  sportsman  should  be,  and 
since  then  was  never  known  to  inflict  needless  pain, 
or  destroy  game  or  game  fish  when  they  could  not 
be  used  for  food. 

These  numerous  useful  things  which  scouts  learn 
have  the  knack  of  curbing  the  half  savage  instinct 
that  seems  to  repose  within  nearly  all  boys'  breasts ; 
and  which  they  say  must  have  descended  to  them 
from  far-back  ancestors. 

By  the  time  lunch  had  been  dispatched  Thad  and 
Giraffe  declared  they  were  as  good  as  new  again, 
since  every  particle  of  their  clothes  had  been  thor- 
oughly dried.  There  was  a  general  scrutiny  on  the 
part  of  all  hands,  so  as  to  make  sure  nothing  had 
been  forgotten  in  the  excitement.  Thad  had  sent 
several  of  them  back  over  the  ground,  to  pick  up 


86  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

every  object  thrown  aside  in  that  mad  scramble, 
from  guns  and  knapsacks  to  clothes  and  shoes. 

Outside  of  a  little  delay,  which  they  expected 
would  not  matter  much,  they  had  not  suffered  in 
the  least  because  of  this  sudden  and  unexpected 
call  upon  their  services.  And  to  have  saved  a  hu- 
man life  was  certainly  worth  ten  times  as  much 
as  they  had  done. 

Bumpus  at  a  signal  from  the  leader  sounded  his 
bugle,  and  once  more  the  little  detachment  of  khaki^ 
clad  boys  started  along  the  river  road,  headed  south- 
east, and  with  a  positive  assurance  that  the  man 
whom  they  sought,  the  hobo  wearing  the  old  blue 
army  overcoat,  was  somewhere  ahead  of  them. 

In  this  manner  they  tramped  for  several  miles, 
constantly  on  the  lookout  for  any  signs  of  their 
quarry.  Thad  frequently  searched  for  the  marked 
footprint,  and  as  often  discovered  it  plainly  marked 
in  the  yielding  mud  close  to  the  road ;  so  that  they 
had  no  fear  of  overlapping  the  fugitive. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  Bumpus  was  heard 
grumbling  to  himself. 

"What's  wrong  now,  Bumpus;  want  a  little  help 
on  account  of  that  stiff  leg?"  asked  Giraffe,  turning 
around. 

"  'Taint  that,"  returned  the  other  quickly,  as  if 
scorning  to  show  signs  of  fatigue  when  the  others 
were  capable  of  keeping  up  the  pace. 

"Well,  what  are  you  grunting  about,  then,  tell 
us?"  demanded  Step  Hen,  who  was  himself  limping 
a  little,  because  of  a  pebble  that  had  managed  to 
work  into  his  shoe  despite  the  protecting  legging, 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  87 

and  hurt  his  foot  before  he  bothered  getting  it 
out. 

"Why,   you  see,"   began  Bumpus  naively,   "it's 
started  to  rain  at  last,  that's  all!" 


88  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 


CHAPTER   IX. 

ANY   PORT  IN   A  STORM. 

"HURRAH  for  Bumpus,  who's  made  a  first  dis- 
covery!" exclaimed  Giraffe,  pretending  to  show 
great  enthusiasm  by  waving  his  campaign  hat  about 
his  head. 

"Well,  I  don't  see  that  it's  anything  to  laugh  at," 
Smithy  was  heard  to  remark,  with  a  lugubrious 
expression  on  his  face;  "if  it  comes  down  on  us 
while  we're  on  the  tramp,  and  without  any  sort  of 
protection,  we'll  soon  be  all  mussed  up,  and  in  a 
nice  pickle.  I'd  be  considerably  better  pleased  to 
have  Bumpus  discover  the  sun  peeping  out  at  us  be- 
fore setting." 

"What  can't  be  cured  must  be  endured,  you  know, 
Smithy,"  Thad  told  the  former  dandy  of  the  troop, 
who  was  every  now  and  then  showing  traces  of  his 
old  faults,  though  he  had  been  cured  of  numerous 
shortcomings.  "If  it  rains  we'll  have  to  get  our 
rubber  ponchos  over  our  shoulders,  and  then  look 
for  a  place  to  spend  the  night.  Things  are  never 
so  bad  but  what  you'll  find  they  could  be  worse." 

That  indeed  was  the  whole  secret  of  Thad's  suc- 
cess, and  the  cheerful  spirit  he  invariably  displayed 
when  up  against  difficulties;  and  every  boy  who 
makes  up  his  mind  to  look  at  his  troubles  in  the 
same  hopeful  spirit  will  surely  profit  from  such  a 


89 


course.  Things  are  never  at  their  worst,  though 
we  may  temporarily  think  so.  The  few  drops  that 
came  down  did  not  last  and  as  the  scouts  continued 
to  push  along  the  river  road  they  kept  their  eyes  on 
the  watch  for  some  valley  farm,  where  they  might 
possibly  find  shelter  against  the  coming  storm. 

It  began  to  look  as  though  they  must  have  struck 
a  portion  of  the  country  where,  for  some  unknown 
reason,  farms  were  few  and  far  between,  which  is 
not  often  the  case  along  the  picturesque  Susque- 
hanna,  since  most  of  the  land  is  under  some  kind 
of  cultivation. 

Thad  even  began  to  fear  that  as  the  evening  was 
now  close  at  hand  they  might  be  compelled  to  aban- 
don their  hope  of  rinding  a  house,  and  use  the  little 
time  remaining  in  building  some  sort  of  rude  shel- 
ter. 

The  idea  did  not  appeal  very  strongly  to  him, 
because  he  knew  that  if  a  heavy  downpour  came 
upon  them  it  might  last  for  twenty-four  hours ;  and 
such  a  primitive  camp  would  prove  a  dismal  refuge 
indeed,  with  no  fire  to  cheer  them,  and  dripping 
trees  all  around,  not  to  speak  of  a  rapidly  rising 
river. 

On  this  account  he  was  determined  to  keep  push- 
ing on  until  the  darkness  became  too  dense  to  allow 
further  progress.  When  they  found  themselves  up 
against  such  a  snag  as  this  it  would  be  time  to  con- 
sider the  last  resort,  which  must  consist  of  shelter 
under  some  outcropping  rocks,  or  a  rustic  hang- 
out made  of  branches  and  every  other  sort  of  thing 
available. 

The  boys  were  not  talking  so  much  latterly.     It 


90  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

seemed  as  though  they  might  be  feeling  too  tired 
for  merriment,  or  else  the  increasing  gravity  of 
their  situation  began  to  impress  them. 

One  thing  Thad  regretted  very  much.  This  was 
the  fact  that  after  the  rain  had  come  and  gone  they 
could  hardly  expect  to  follow  the  man  who  wore 
the  old  blue  army  coat  by  means  of  the  tracks  he 
left  behind  him,  for  these  would  have  been  ut- 
terly obliterated.  They  must  then  depend  on  in- 
formation given  by  the  inmates  of  such  houses  as 
they  came  upon  along  the  road. 

"It's  sure  commencing  to  get  dark,  Thad,"  grum- 
bled Giraffe,  after  a  while,  as  if  to  explain  why  he 
had  stubbed  his  toe,  when  by  rights  all  that  clumsy 
business  was  supposed  to  be  monopolized  by  poor 
Bumpus. 

"That's  partly  because  we  happen  to  be  passing 
under  a  big  patch  of  woods  here  on  the  right,"  the 
patrol  leader  explained;  "which  helps  to  shut  out 
more  or  less  of  the  light  from  the  west.  Over  there 
across  the  river  the  sky  is  so  gloomy  you  couldn't 
expect  it  to  help  out  any." 

"But  inside  of  half  an  hour  at  the  most  it'll  be 
so  black  you  can't  see  a  hand  before  your  face," 
Step  Hen  observed. 

"I  suppose  you  mean  we  ought  to  be  thinking 
of  stopping,"  Thad  returned,  "and  I'm  of  the  same 
mind;  but  I  hate  to  give  up  the  hope  of  striking 
some  farm,  where  we  could  get  another  chance  to 
sleep  in  the  haymow.  But  give  me  ten  minutes 
more,  boys,  and  if  we  fail  to  strike  what  we  want 
I'll  call  a  halt." 

"Whew!  I've  got  a  hunch  we're  going  to  run 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  91 

up  against  an  experience  before  long  that  we  won't 
forget  in  a  hurry,  either !"  volunteered  Davy. 

"Here,  none  of  that  croaking,  Davy  Jones!" 
cried  Bob  White.  "We've  all  been  through  so 
much  that  it  doesn't  become  any  member  of  the 
Silver  Fox  Patrol  to  show  the  white  feather,  suh." 

"Nobody's  thinking  of  doing  that  same,  Bob 
White,"  retorted  Davy;  "I  was  only  trying  to  fig- 
ure out  what  sort  of  a  night  we  had  ahead  of  us. 
If  it  comes  to  knocking  up  against  trouble,  I  reckon 
I'm  as  able  to  hold  up  my  end  of  the  log  as  the  next 
one.  My  record  will  prove  that." 

"We're  all  in  the  same  boat,  Davy,"  Step  Hen 
told  him,  in  order  to  "smooth  his  ruffled  feathers," 
as  he  called  it. 

"And  I'll  time  you  on  that  promise,  Thad,"  re- 
marked Allan,  as  he  took  out  his  little  nickel  watch, 
and  held  it  close  up  to  his  face  in  order  to  see  where 
the  hands  pointed,  which  action  in  itself  proved  the 
contention  of  Giraffe  that  the  daylight  was  cer- 
tainly growing  quite  dim. 

They  continued  to  plod  along,  now  and  then  some 
one  making  a  remark,  and  all  of  them  looking  con- 
tinually to  the  right,  in  hopes  that  they  might  dis- 
cover a  haven  of  refuge  in  the  shape  of  some  sort 
of  house,  they  cared  little  how  unpretentious  it 
might  be. 

Indeed,  just  then  there  was  not  one  scout  pres- 
ent but  who  would  have  hailed  the  appearance  of 
even  an  old  abandoned  shanty  having  a  leaky  roof 
with  delight;  for  with  their  ingenuity  a  worn-out 
roof  could  easily  be  made  to  shed  rain;  and  a  sup- 
ply of  firewood  was  to  be  gathered  in  a  hurry. 


92  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

The  formation  of  the  country  was  not  favorable 
in  one  respect,  and  they  failed  to  run  across  any- 
thing in  the  shape  of  an  outcropping  ledge,  under 
which  they  might  find  shelter.  This  had  saved 
them  from  a  ducking  on  more  than  one  former 
occasion,  as  they  well  remembered;  but  fortune 
was  not  so  kind  to-day. 

Minute  after  minute  dragged  on. 

Once  Allan  even  took  out  his  watch,  and  ex- 
amined its  face,  only  to  laugh. 

"Beats  all  how  you  get  fooled  when  you're  count- 
ing the  minutes,"  he  remarked. 

"You  mean  we  haven't  been  walking  that  ten 
Thad  allowed  us?"  asked  Step  Hen. 

"Just  six  to  the  dot,  boys,"  the  timekeeper  told 
them. 

"Oh!  dear,  I  thought  it  was  closer  on  half  an 
hour,"  sighed  Bumpus,  who  was  dragging  his  feet 
along  as  though  each  one  weighed  a  ton.  "Four 
whole  minutes  left!  But  Allan,  mebbe  that  watch 
of  yours  has  stopped!  I  had  one  that  used  to  play 
tricks  like  that  on  me,  'specially  in  the  mornings, 
when  by  rights  I  ought  to  have  been  out  of  bed.  It 
was  the  most  accommodating  thing  you  ever  saw; 
I'd  wake  up,  take  a  look  and  see  it  stood  at  a  quar- 
ter to  seven,  and  then  roll  over  for  another  little 
snooze.  Then  I'd  look  again  after  a  while,  and 
see  it  was  still  a  quarter  to  seven,  which  allowed 
me  to  have  another  nap.  And  when  my  dad  came 
up  to  ask  me  if  I  was  sick,  I'd  tell  him  he'd  have 
to  get  me  a  better  watch  than  that  if  he  expected 
me  to  rise  promptly." 

"And  did  he?"  asked  Davy. 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  93 

Bumpus  shrugged  his  fat  shoulders  as  he  replied : 

"I  climb  out  of  bed  every  morning  now  when  a 
great  big  alarm  clock  rattles  away  close  to  my  ear. 
Dad  sets  it  there  before  he  retires,  and  I  can't  chuck 
it  out  of  the  window,  either.  So  you  see  watches 
go  back  on  their  best  friends  sometimes." 

"Well,  mine  is  running  like  a  steam  engine  right 
now,"  Allan  remarked,  "and  the  four  minutes  are 
nearly  down  to  three.  Keep  a  stiff  upper  lip, 
Bumpus,  and  the  day's  hike  will  soon  be  over,  no 
matter  what  the  night  brings." 

That  was  the  thing  that  bothered  them  all,  for 
the  night  was  setting  in  so  gloomily  that  it  filled 
their  hearts  with  secret  misgivings  and  forebodings. 
The  lonesomeness  of  their  surroundings  had  some- 
thing to  do  with  this  feeling,  perhaps,  although 
these  boys  were  used  to  camping  out,  and  had  in- 
deed roughed  it  many  times  in  far-distant  regions, 
where  wild  beasts  roamed,  and  made  the  night 
hideous  with  their  tongues. 

At  least  nothing  of  that  kind  might  be  expected 
here  along  the  peaceful  Susquehanna.  Their  suf- 
ferings were  apt  to  come  mostly  from  the  severity 
of  the  weather,  and  their  unpreparedness  to  meet 
a  storm  such  as  now  threatened. 

The  three  minutes  had  certainly  dwindled  to  two, 
and  might  be  even  approaching  the  last  figure  to 
which  their  progress  was  limited,  when  suddenly 
Giraffe  gave  a  shout. 

"We  win,  boys!"  was  the  burden  of  his  an- 
nouncement; "because,  as  sure  as  you  live,  I 
glimpsed  a  light  ahead  there.  Look,  you  can  see  it 
easy  enough  now.  We're  going  to  have  a  roof 


94  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

over  our  heads  to-night,  after  all!  What  a  lucky 
thing  it  was  you  said  ten  minutes,  Thad.  Suppose, 
now,  you'd  just  notched  it  off  with  five,  why,  we'd 
have  missed  connections,  that's  what !" 

"But  hold  on,  Giraffe,  don't  you  see  that  light's 
on  the  wrong  side  of  the  road,"  remonstrated  Al- 
lan. "It  ought  to  be  on  the  right,  but  instead  it 
lies  close  to  the  edge  of  the  water.  Now,  no  man 
would  be  silly  enough  to  build  his  farmhouse  on 
the  river  bank,  where  any  spring  rise  might  wash 
it  away." 

"It  must  be  a  boat  of  some  kind !"  Thad  now  de- 
clared; "yes,  I  can  begin  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the 
same  through  that  thin  screen  of  bushes." 

"Wow!  looks  like  a  houseboat  to  me,  boys,  or 
what  out  on  the  Ohio  and  the  Mississippi  they  call 
a  shanty  boat,  which  is  a  cabin  built  on  a  monitor  or 
float !"  was  what  Step  Hen  announced. 

"I  believe  you're  right  there,  Step  Hen,"  Allan 
put  in;  "but  no  matter,  any  port  in  a  storm;  and 
when  a  crowd  of  scouts  are  hard  pushed  they  can 
squeeze  in  small  quarters.  We'll  fix  it  somehow 
with  the  owner  of  that  craft  to  let  us  pile  in  with 
him  till  the  clouds  roll  by." 

All  sorts  of  loud  remarks  followed,  as  the  party 
hastened  their  footsteps,  some  of  the  boys  even 
laughing,  for  the  improved  prospects  made  Bum- 
pus  and  Smithy  temporarily  forget  their  troubles. 

All  of  them  quickly  saw  that  the  object  of  their 
attention  was  really  a  clumsy-looking  houseboat. 
It  seemed  to  be  moored  to  the  bank  with  a  stout 
rope,  and,  judging  from  the  fact  that  a  light  shone 
from  a  small  window,  it  must  be  occupied. 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  95 

Laughing  and  jostling  one  another,  the  eight 
boys  pushed  on.  It  was  not  so  dark  as  yet  but  what 
they  could  have  been  seen  after  passing  the  screen 
of  leafless  bushes,  had  any  one  chanced  to  look  out 
of  that  window. 

Thad  led  the  way  aboard.  No  dog  barked,  nor 
did  they  hear  any  sort  of  a  sound  inside  the  cabin. 

"Give  'em  a  knock,  Thad!"  said  Step  Hen. 

This  the  patrol  leader  did,  but  there  was  no  re- 
ply. Thad  waited  half  a  minute,  and,  hearing  noth- 
ing, once  more  rapped  his  knuckles  on  the  door. 

"All  asleep,  or  else  up  the  road  somewhere; 
s'pose  you  open  the  door  yourself,  Thad!"  sug- 
gested Giraffe  impatiently. 

When  he  had  knocked  a  third  time,  and  received 
no  reply,  Thad  proceeded  to  open  the  cabin  door, 
after  which  the  rest  of  the  scouts  were  so  eager 
to  enter  that  he  was  actually  pushed  ahead  of  them 
into  the  place. 

They  stared  around  in  bewilderment,  for  while 
a  small  lamp  was  burning  on  a  table  screwed  to 
the  wall  on  hinges,  and  some  supper  was  cooking 
on  a  small  stove,  there  did  not  seem  to  be  the  first 
sign  of  any  human  presence.  There  was  something 
so  strange  and  uncanny  about  this  that  the  scouts 
looked  at  one  another  uneasily. 


96  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 


CHAPTER    X. 

THE  DESERTED  SHANTY  BOAT. 

"NOBODY  home,  Thad!"  remarked  Giraffe  pres- 
ently. 

"It  looks  that  way,"  admitted  the  patrol  leader, 
for  the  light  of  the  little  lamp  allowed  them  to  see 
every  part  of  the  interior;  and  some  of  the  scouts 
had  even  bent  down  to  look  under  the  table,  and 
behind  an  old  trunk,  without  result. 

"If  he's  stepped  out  to  go  on  an  errand  down  the 
road,  where  there  may  be  some  sort  of  a  house,  it 
looks  queer  to  me  that  he'd  leave  his  supper  cook- 
ing on  the  stove  here,"  and  as  Allan  said  this  he 
pushed  back  a  frying  pan  that  seemed  to  contain 
fried  potatoes  so  nearly  done  they  would  have 
started  to  burn  in  a  few  more  minutes. 

"Gosh!  don't  this  mystery  beat  everything!" 
Bumpus  was  heard  to  mutter;  and  since  the  stout 
scout  seldom  expressed  himself  forcibly  it  could 
easily  be  understood  that  he  was  now  well  worked 
up;  at  the  same  time  he  warmed  his  hands  by  the 
fire,  and  even  stooped  down  to  take  a  closer  whiff 
of  the  cooking  food  which  must  have  appealed  irre- 
sistibly to  a  hungry  scout,  who  was  also  reckoned 
a  champion  feeder. 

"He'd  better  be  hurrying  back,  then,"  Step  Hen 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  97 

interposed,  "if  he  don't  want  to  get  his  jacket  wet, 
because  she's  started  in  to  rain,  boys,  you  hear !" 

Sure  enough,  they  caught  the  increasing  patter 
of  descending  drops  on  the  roof  of  the  cabin,  show- 
ing that  the  long-delayed  storm  had  broken  bounds 
at  last 

"Woof!  talk  to  me  about  luck,  we've  got  it  in 
big  chunks,"  said  Giraffe,  grinning,  as  he  relieved 
himself  of  his  haversack,  and  immediately  began 
to  open  the  same,  as  though  bent  on  considering 
their  own  supper. 

"How  kind  of  the  storm,"  said  Smithy;  "it  held 
off  until  we  had  run  upon  this  haven  of  refuge.  I 
hope  now  the  owner  will  allow  us  to  stay  with  him 
over  night,  for  it  would  break  my  heart  to  have  to 
step  out  of  this  comfortable  place  into  the  nasty 
wet." 

"Don't  worry,  Smithy,"  asserted  Giraffe;  "it'd 
have  to  be  a  charge  of  dynamite  that'd  hoist  me 
out  of  this.  Possession  is  nine  points  of  the  law, 
they  say;  and  we're  here  to  stay,  even  if  we  have 
to  pay  three  prices  for  accommodations.  And  I 
want  to  tell  you  that  with  that  jolly  fire  so  handy 
we'll  be  silly  to  delay  getting  our  own  supper 
ready." 

"Don't  bother  with  what  is  on  the  stove,"  warned 
Thad;  "only  shove  it  back,  for  when  the  owner  of 
the  boat  does  come  home  he'll  want  it.  Plenty  of 
room  for  our  purpose,  isn't  there,  boys?" 

They  assured  him  on  this  point,  and  then  both 
Giraffe  and  Bumpus  busied  themselves.  The  con- 
tents of  the  various  haversacks  soon  disclosed  a 
quantity  of  eatables,  and  the  cooking  of  supper  was 


98  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

deemed  a  "snap"  by  those  in  charge,  since  they  had 
the  rare  privilege  of  doing  their  work  on  a  real 
stove,  with  plenty  of  wood  handy. 

Let  the  rain  beat  upon  the  roof  overhead,  until 
it  made  such  a  racket  they  had  at  times  to  fairly 
shout  in  order  to  be  heard — who  cared,  with  a  cabin 
to  shield  them  from  the  fury  of  the  storm? 

Thad  hardly  anticipated  that  the  absent  owner 
of  the  boat  would  return  while  the  rain  was  com- 
ing down  in  such  torrents,  though  if  it  relaxed  its 
violence  later  on  they  might  expect  to  see  him. 
Some  of  the  other  boys  did  not  have  quite  so  much 
confidence,  for  whenever  there  was  a  sudden  move- 
ment of  the  boat,  as  some  gust  of  wind  struck  the 
upper  end,  the  more  nervous  ones  would  hastily 
.glance  toward  the  door,  as  though  half  expecting  to 
see  it  thrown  open,  and  an  angry  boatman  push  in, 
demanding  to  know  what  they  meant  by  taking  pos- 
session during  his  absence. 

But  supper  was  cooked  and  placed  upon  the  table 
without  any  interruption  of  this  sort  taking  place. 
There  was  not  room  for  them  all  to  gather  around 
the  table;  indeed,  they  filled  the  small  cabin  pretty 
well,  eight  of  them  in  space  that  was  really  in- 
tended for  two  or  three;  but  that  did  not  interfere 
with  everyone  getting  his  share  of  food,  though  he 
had  to  sit  cross-legged  like  a  Turk  on  the  floor  to 
devour  it 

All  of  them  were  in  fairly  high  spirits  now.  The 
solving  of  the  problem  as  to  where  they  were  to  find 
shelter  from  the  storm  did  considerable  to  lift  them 
to  this  plane.  Then  again  the  enjoyment  they  found 
in  satisfying  their  hunger  with  good  things  had 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA  99 

its  share,  as  well  as  the  warmth  of  the  cabin,  which 
was  certainly  a  feature  worth  considering. 

Supper  done,  and  still  no  let-up  to  the  downfall 
of  rain,  which  was  beating  the  liveliest  kind  of  a 
tattoo  upon  the  roof.  Thad  was  glad  to  discover 
no  signs  of  a  leak  anywhere,  which  spoke  well  for 
the  tidiness  of  the  owner. 

Giraffe,  noticing  how  Thad  looked  up  and 
around,  must  have  guessed  what  the  other  was 
thinking  about,  to  judge  from  the  remark  he  made. 

"No  use  talking,  Thad,  the  chap  who  owns  this 
boat  can't  be  that  Irishman  who  when  some  one 
asked  him  why  he  didn't  mend  his  leaky  roof  said 
that  when  the  weather  was  dry  he  didn't  think  to 
bother  with  it ;  and  when  it  rained  why  he  couldn't 
mend  it.  This  one  is  as  tight  as  a  drum.  We're 
a  lucky  lot  of  scouts  again ;  and  I'm  only  sorry  that 
the  mysterious  owner  isn't  here  to  enjoy  the  hos- 
pitality of  the  shanty  boat." 

Once  Thad  walked  over  to  the  door,  which  he 
found  could  be  secured  inside  with  a  bar.  It  also 
had  a  padlock  on  the  outside,  showing  that  it  might 
be  the  habit  of  the  owner  when  he  left  his  home  for 
a  time  to  fasten  it  securely. 

"I'm  glad  that  padlock  wasn't  in  use  when  we 
struck  here,"  remarked  Allan,  who  had  followed  the 
leader  over.  "We'd  have  been  compelled  to  break 
in,  and  that's  a  serious  offense  against  the  law,  if 
you're  caught,  though  we'd  have  left  money  to  pay 
for  our  housing." 

Thad  opened  the  door,  and  they  looked  out  into 
the  pitch  darkness  of  the  night,  though  neither  of 
them  essayed  to  step  beyond  the  sill.  The  storm 


100  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

was  now  in  full  blast,  and  the  river  seemed  to  be 
rushing  past  the  moored  shanty  boat  with  foam  on 
the  little  waves  formed  by  the  sweeping  wind. 

"Looks  pretty  ugly,  doesn't  it  ?"  said  Thad. 

"I  never  would  have  believed  the  Susquehanna 
could  get  on  such  a  rampage  as  this,"  Allan  re- 
marked in  turn.  "I  always  had  an  idea  it  was  a 
peaceful  sort  of  river,  with  beautiful  banks,  and  the 
canal  running  along  in  places  parallel  to  the  river; 
but  I  declare  you'd  think  it  was  the  big  Mississippi 
right  now,  what  we  can  see  of  it,  from  the  way  our 
light  shines  on  the  water." 

"It's  on  the  boom,  you  know,"  Thad  told  him, 
"and  there's  an  unusual  amount  of  water  in  the 
channel ;  but  from  the  way  the  rain's  coming  down 
it'll  be  a  flood  before  twenty-four  hours,  if  ever 
there  was  one  along  here." 

"Lucky  we  struck  a  boat  then,  instead  of  some 
shanty  close  to  the  bank ;  because  in  that  case,  Thad, 
we  might  have  been  washed  away  before  morning, 
as  the  river  kept  on  rising  a  foot  an  hour  perhaps." 

Thad  closed  the  door  again. 

"Looks  a  whole  lot  better  inside  than  out,"  he  ob- 
served, "which  makes  me  feel  glad  we're  not  cower- 
ing under  a  branch  shelter,  and  taking  a  ducking. 
Even  with  the  rubber  blankets  we  couldn't  expect  to 
keep  half  way  dry  when  it's  pelting  down  as  steady 
as  that." 

"I've  been  trying  to  figure  out  what  happened 
here,"  said  Allan.  "There  was  some  man  in  this 
cabin,  and  he  was  getting  supper  when  we  gave 
that  first  shout.  Now,  it  might  be  he  looked  out, 
and  glimpsing  a  bunch  of  fellows  in  khaki  suits  and 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         101 

carrying  guns,  running  this  way,  he  thought  we 
were  soldiers.  He  may  have  had  some  good  reason 
for  not  wanting  to  meet  up  with  the  State  troops, 
and  so  cut  and  ran  for  it.  That's  the  thing  I've 
made  my  mind  up  to." 

"And  according  to  my  way  of  thinking  you're 
close  to  the  truth,  Allan,"  he  was  told  by  the  patrol 
leader. 

"I  noticed  that  you  dropped  that  bar  in  place, 
Thad,  after  you'd  shut  the  door ;  what  was  the  idea 
of  doing  that?" 

"Well,  it  doesn't  seem  to  be  just  the  right  thing, 
fastening  a  man's  own  door  against  him,"  laughed 
the  other;  "but  as  we  all  want  to  get  some  sleep 
to-night,  being  tired,  I  thought  it  might  be  best  to 
fix  things  so  we'd  have  ample  warning  if  the  owner 
of  the  boat  did  turn  up.  Let  him  knock,  and  we'll 
be  only  too  glad  to  open  up;  only  we  don't  want 
him  to  walk  in  on  us  and  catch  us  napping.  There's 
no  telling  how  unpleasant  he  might  make  it  for  us."" 

This  sound  reasoning  appealed  favorably  to  Al- 
lan. 

"The  window  you  see  has  got  a  stout  iron  bar 
across  it,"  he  went  on  to  say;  "and  a  fellow  would 
have  the  time  of  his  life  trying  to  crawl  through 
such  a  small  space ;  so  it's  all  right ;  we  can  lie  down 
to  sleep  without  worrying." 

They  were  in  fact  pretty  well  played  out,  having 
been  up  a  good  part  of  the  previous  night,  it  will 
be  remembered,  and  the  day's  tramp  had  been  any- 
thing but  a  picnic  to  certain  members  of  the  party 
who  need  not  be  mentioned  by  name. 

Accordingly,  about  an  hour  after  they  had  fin- 


102  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

ished  supper  there  began  to  be  a  movement  on  foot 
looking  to  finding  accommodations  for  spreading 
Hankets  on  the  hard  floor  of  the  cabin. 

Space  was  somewhat  at  a  premium,  since  there 
were  eight  of  the  scouts.  The  owner  of  the  shanty 
boat  had  some  sort  of  contraption  in  the  way  of  a 
cot  which  in  the  daytime  could  be  fastened  up 
against  the  wall,  and  in  this  manner  avoid  taking 
up  a  considerable  amount  of  space,  to  be  dropped 
when  needed.  None  of  the  boys  considered  for  a 
moment  using  that  cot,  all  of  them  preferring  to 
make  sure  of  the  protection  of  their  own  clean 
blankets  on  the  floor. 

Bumpus,  while  very  tired,  was  afraid  that  he 
might  not  get  to  sleep  as  easily  as  he  would  have 
liked,  because  of  the  way  his  mind  was  worked 
up.  Giraffe,  in  talking  about  matters,  had  happened 
to  suggest  that  possibly  the  man  owning  the  boat 
may  have  been  seized  with  a  fit  when  he  was  stoop- 
ing over  to  draw  some  water  from  the  river  in  a 
bucket,  and  had  fallen  overboard;  and  the  thought 
of  such  a  terrible  thing  happening  filled  the  mind 
of  tender-hearted  Bumpus,  who  never  liked  to  see 
anyone  suffer  if  he  could  help  it. 

But  although  the  roar  of  the  storm  and  the  dash 
of  the  waves  against  the  side  of  the  boat,  causing  it 
to  rock  from  time  to  time,  bothered  some  of  the 
scouts  in  the  beginning,  they  finally  grew  more  ac- 
customed to  the  chorus  of  sounds,  and  in  the  end 
all  of  them  slept  as  only  exhausted  boys  may. 

Thad  had  remained  awake  after  the  last  of  his 
chums  yielded  to  the  drowsy  feeling  that  overcame 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         103 

them;  but  finally  he,  too,  found  forget  fulness  in 
sleep. 

He  was  aroused  by  some  one  clutching  him  des- 
perately, and  realized  that  Giraffe,  who  chanced  to 
have  lain  down  alongside  the  leader,  was  calling  his 
name  wildly. 

All  was  darkness  around  them,  for  they  had  seen 
fit  to  put  out  the  little  lamp,  wishing  to  save  the 
oil  as  much  as  possible.  The  bellowing  storm  still 
held  full  sway  without,  and  while  there  had  been 
no  thunder  and  lightning,  as  must  have  been  the 
case  had  it  happened  in  midsummer,  the  forces  of 
Nature  were  fiercely  contending,  and  combined  to 
make  a  terrible  noise. 

But  Thad  immediately  became  aware  of  the  fact 
that  there  was  a  new  motion  to  the  shanty  boat  on 
which  they  had  found  such  welcome  refuge.  It 
rocked  violently,  and  pitched  very  much  after  the 
manner  of  a  bucking  broncho  trying  to  unseat  a 
rider. 

Thad  could  give  a  quick  guess  what  this  signi- 
fied, though  it  chilled  him  to  the  very  marrow  to 
realize  the  new  horror  that  had  come  upon  them. 

The  other  boys  were  all  aroused  by  now,  even 
Bumpus,  who  usually  had  to  be  rolled  violently  be- 
fore he  would  open  his  eyes ;  and  their  various  ex- 
clamations of  alarm  began  to  be  heard  all  around 
him  in  the  gloom  of  the  cabin  interior. 

"What  is  it,  Thad?" 

"My  stars !  just  feel  the  old  boat  jumping,  would 
you?" 

"I'm  beginning  to  be  seasick  already!"  com- 
plained Smithy. 


104  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

"Thad,  what  d'ye  think,  has  she  broken  away 
from  her  moorings?"  demanded  Giraffe;  and  the 
anxious  listeners  felt  a  shock  when  they  heard  the 
patrol  leader  reply: 

"I'm  afraid  that's  just  what's  happened,  boys, 
and  that  we're  adrift  on  the  flood." 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         105 


CHAPTER   XI. 

ADRIFT   ON    THE   FLOOD. 

"WHAT  can  we  do,  Thad?"  cried  Bumpus,  as  a 
lurch  of  the  boat  caused  him  to  bang  up  against 
some  of  the  others. 

"Hold  on,  don't  smash  me  against  the  side  of  the 
cabin,  you  elephant!"  roared  Davy,  who  had  been 
unfortunate  enough  to  serve  as  a  buffer  for  the 
stout  scout. 

Thad  struck  a  match,  and  somehow  even  the 
small  glow  thus  afforded  seemed  to  give  the  boys 
new  cheer. 

"Thank  goodness  the  tin  lamp  hasn't  been 
knocked  over  and  the  glass  broken !"  said  Step  Hen, 
as  he  reached  out,  and  just  saved  the  article  in 
question  from  slipping  off  the  table. 

"Here,  let  me  put  this  match  to  the  wick,"  said 
Thad;  "things  won't  seem  quite  so  bad  then  as  in 
the  pitch  dark." 

After  that  they  fixed  it  so  the  precious  tin  lamp 
could  not  be  spilled;  and  so  long  as  the  oil  held 
out  they  meant  to  keep  it  burning. 

When  the  door  was  opened  so  that  they  could 
look  out,  it  was  a  dreadful  sight  the  scouts  saw.  All 
before  them  lay  heaving  water,  that  had  a  sicken- 
ing motion  to  it,  but  did  not  seem  to  be  rushing 
past  as  they  had  noticed  it  do  before. 


106  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

"Why,  the  old  river's  standing  still,  I  do  de- 
clare!" cried  the  astonished  Bumpus,  as  he  thrust 
his  head  out  of  the  open  doorway  to  see. 

"It  looks  that  way  because  we're  moving  along 
with  it,  Bumpus,"  Giraffe  told  him;  ordinarily  the 
tall  scout  would  most  likely  have  jeered  scorn- 
fully at  the  innocent  for  suspecting  such  a  thing,  but 
now  he  seemed  to  feel  that  he  owed  Bumpus  a  debt 
on  account  of  the  trick  he  had  played,  which  could 
only  be  paid  by  his  being  unusually  kind. 

"Can  we  do  anything,  Thad?"  demanded  Step 
Hen.  "Is  there  a  push  pole  on  board  so  some  of  us 
might  start  the  old  tub  back  to  the  bank  again?" 

"There  is  one,  but  it  seems  to  be  broken,  and 
wouldn't  be  worth  a  continental  cent  in  all  this 
flood,"  Thad  told  him.  "Unless  we  feel  desperate 
enough  to  jump  over  and  try  to  swim  for  it,  we'll 
have  to  stay  aboard,  and  take  our  chances." 

"Oh !  I  hope  now  you  won't  decide  to  try  that !" 
s-aid  Bumpus,  whose  failings  were  well  known  to 
his  chums,  and  a  lack  of  the  knowledge  pertaining 
to  the  art  of  swimming  happened  to  be  one  of  them. 

Indeed,  when  they  looked  at  that  terrible  water 
all  of  the  scouts  shrank  back,  and  not  a  single  voice 
was  raised  in  favor  of  the  plan.  There  might  be 
worse  things  even  than  finding  themselves  adrift 
on  the  flood  in  a  houseboat. 

"Do  you  think  that  thick  rope  broke  under  the 
strain,  Thad?"  asked  Allan  presently,  as  they  still 
stood  there,  looking  out,  not  liking  to  close  the  door 
lest  something  terrible  happen  to  the  boat,  and  all 
of  them  be  caught  in  the  cabin  to  drown  like  rats 
in  a  trap. 


107 

"That's  what  must  have  happened,  Allan,  though 
when  I  looked  it  over  I  thought  it  could  stand  any 
sort  of  strain.  But  it  must  have  been  part  rotten 
in  some  part;  and  a  rope's  like  a  chain,  you  know, 
only  as  strong  as  its  weakest  link  or  strand.  But 
no  matter  what  the  cause  may  have  been,  all  we 
have  to  think  of  is  the  effect.  It's  too  late  to  pre- 
vent the  accident;  and  we'll  hope  the  worst  isn't 
going  to  happen  to  us  now." 

"What  d'ye  mean  by  the  worst,  Thad?"  asked 
Bumpus,  almost  piteously. 

"This  river,  you  know,  is  full  of  rocks,"  ex- 
plained the  other.  "In  the  summertime  when  the 
water's  low  they  stick  tip  everywhere;  but  in  case 
of  a  flood  most  of  them  are  under  water,  and  act 
like  snags  to  punch  holes  in  boats  that  may  be  un- 
lucky enough  to  be  caught  afloat.  Then  again 
there's  always  danger  of  being  crowded  up  on  a 
sliding  shelf  of  rock,  when  the  wind  and  the  sweep 
of  the  current  might  upset  us  all !" 

"Gosh!" 

After  that  last  exclamation  Bumpus  remained 
silent,  but  he  certainly  found  plenty  of  food  for 
thought  in  what  he  had  heard  Thad  say.  Every 
new  lurch  of  the  boat  was  apt  to  give  him  a  fresh 
quiver  of  anxiety.  He  kept  his  eyes  fixed  on  Thad, 
just  as  though  he  believed  that  if  they  were  to  be 
saved  at  all,  it  must  inevitably  be  through  the  in- 
strumentality of  the  patrol  leader. 

It  might  readily  be  assumed  that  none  of  those 
eight  scouts  would  ever  forget  that  wild  voyage 
down  the  flooded  Susquehanna,  in  the  inky  dark- 
ness of  that  Spring  night.  The  floating  shanty  boat 


108  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

kept  performing  all  manner  of  remarkable  gyra- 
tions under  the  influence  of  wind  and  waves.  Some- 
times one  end  would  be  upstream,  and  in  a  little 
while  the  craft  would  spin  around  so  that  the  door 
had  to  be  temporarily  closed  in  order  to  keep  the 
driving  rain  from  deluging  them. 

In  the  midst  of  this  dreadful  suspense  they  sud- 
denly felt  that  their  onward  motion  had  ceased.  At 
the  same  time  they  discovered  the  forward  part  of 
the  boat  to  be  rising. 

"We're  ashore!"  shouted  Giraffe,  looking  ready 
to  plunge  out  of  the  door  and  take  any  sort  of  a 
ducking  rather  than  stay  aboard,  to  risk  death  in 
the  flood. 

"Hold  on!"  cried  Thad,  clutching  him  just  ir> 
time  to  prevent  any  rashness;  "you  don't  want  to 
leap  before  you  look.  There's  water  on  this  side 
where  the  shore  ought  to  be.  I  think  the  boat's 
only  shoved  up  on  a  sunken  rock!  If  you  jumped 
now  you'd  find  yourself  in  the  river !" 

"Yes,  and  she's  swinging  around  right  now,  let 
me  tell  you,  Giraffe!"  added  Davy  Jones;  "look  at 
the  other  side  coming  up,  would  you  ?" 

"Oh!  I  hope  she  don't  turn  turtle,  that's  all!" 
bellowed  Bumpus ;  "keep  the  door  open,  Thad,  and 
let  me  have  a  chance  to  get  out  if  the  worst  comes, 
because  I  need  more  time  than  the  rest  of  you  do." 

Giraffe  was  seen  to  edge  closer  to  the  stout  scout, 
as  though  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  give  Bum- 
pus,  who  knew  so  little  about  swimming,  all  possi- 
ble assistance  should  the  worst  come  to  pass. 

"No  dr.nger  this  time,"  sang  out  Thad,  "for  there 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         109 

she  slides  off  the  rock,  and  our  interrupted  voyage 
is  on  again." 

True  enough,  the  shanty  boat  began  to  move, 
rocked  violently  for  a  brief  period,  and  then  seemed 
to  be  floating  once  more  along  the  rolling  current 
on  an  even  keel,  greatly  to  the  relief  of  Bumpus, 
who  was  holding  his  breath  with  the  dreadful  sus- 
pense. 

"How  long  do  you  suppose  now  we  can  keep  sail- 
ing like  this?"  Step  Hen  asked. 

"If  nothing  happens  to  us  until  morning  comes," 
replied  Triad,  "we'll  find  some  way  to  get  ashore, 
when  we  can  see  how  to  work." 

"Sure  thing!"  added  Davy.  "But  I  hope  now  we 
don't  strike  any  old  cataract  or  falls,  where  we'd 
be  swept  over  a  dam,  and  get  wrecked.  Seems  to 
me  I've  heard  of  such  things  along  the  Susque- 
hanna." 

His  words  must  have  brought  a  new  spasm  of 
alarm  to  the  heart  of  Bumpus,  for  he  clutched 
Thad's  sleeve,  as  though  imploring  him  to  set  that 
fear  at  rest. 

"If  there  are,"  the  patrol  leader  told  them,  "it 
must  be  a  good  deal  further  upstream  than  where 
we  are.  While  the  Susquehanna  isn't  called  a 
navigable  river,  except  down  near  its  mouth,  where 
it  empties  into  the  bay,  it's  an  open  stream  for  a 
long  distance.  Don't  bother  thinking  about  mill- 
dams  and  that  sort  of  thing.  The  worst  terror 
we've  got  to  face  is  the  everlasting  snags  all  around 
us.  If  one  punched  a  hole  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
boat  we'd  be  apt  to  sink." 

"Wish  we  had  life  preservers,  then,"  remarked 


110  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

Bumpus;  "I  thought  every  boat  was  compelled  to 
keep  such  things  aboard." 

"They  are,  if  they  carry  a  certain  number  of 
passengers,"  Thad  told  him. 

"Yes,"  added  Giraffe,  as  he  reached  up  and  took 
some  small  object  from  a  shelf,  where  it  had  re- 
mained all  this  while,  in  spite  of  the  movements 
of  the  boat,  "and  this  craft  was  well  provided,  too, 
for  you  can  see  that  this  is  an  empty  bottle,  the  mate 
to  the  one  the  tramps  threw  away.  They  all  seem 
to  patronize  the  same  brand  around  this  section, 
too,  because  it's  as  like  that  other  flask  as  two 
peas  in  a  pod." 

Thad  looked  at  the  emptied  bottle,  but  made  no 
remark.  Had  Giraffe  been  observing  the  patrol 
leader  closely,  however,  instead  of  keeping  his  eyes 
fixed  on  what  he  was  exhibiting,  he  might  have  won- 
dered what  the  little  flash  of  intelligence  passing 
over  Thad's  face  could  mean,  and  whether  the 
other  had  conceived  a  sudden  thought  of  some  kind. 

They  must  have  entered  upon  a  section  of  the 
river  where  the  cross  currents  became  stronger  than 
ever,  for  the  drifting  shanty  boat's  progress  became 
more  erratic.  Several  times  the  boys  found  them- 
selves flung  in  a  heap  by  an  unheralded  stoppage  of 
the  boat,  or  an  unusually  wild  movement  sideways. 

"Say,  this  is  getting  tougher  and  tougher  the 
further  we  go,  and  I  must  admit  I  don't  fancy  it 
for  a  cent!"  grumbled  Step  Hen,  after  he  had 
picked  himself  up  for  the  third  time  and  rubbed 
his  knees  as  though  they  pained  him. 

"The  worst  I  ever  met  up  with,  suh!"  declared 
Bob  White,  steadying  himself  by  clutching  hold  of 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         111 

a  hook  that  was  fastened  to  the  wall  for  some  pur- 
pose or  other. 

"Think  of  me,"  groaned  Bumpus;  ''when  I  come 
down  it's  like  a  load  of  brick!" 

"Yes,  that's  what  I  say,"  added  Davy;  "  'specially 
to  the  fellow  underneath  you,  Bumpus.  Why  don't 
you  sit  down  all  the  time,  and  save  yourself  the 
trouble  of  falling  so  much?  You  nearly  crunched 
me  last  time." 

"Yes,  and  it  don't  hurt  him  to  fall  the  same  way 
it  does  me,"  Giraffe  wanted  the  rest  to  know,  "be- 
cause he's  padded  all  over  like  a  football  player." 

Instead  of  diminishing,  the  erratic  gyrations  of 
the  whirling  boat  seemed  to  continually  increase,  if 
such  a  thing  were  possible.  Even  Thad  became 
worried,  for  it  was  impossible  to  guess  what  would 
happen  next.  Then  again  that  impenetrable  black- 
ness with  which  they  were  enveloped  on  all  sides 
must  be  anything  but  reassuring  to  even  the  bravest 
heart.  If  they  could  only  see  out,  and  prepare  for 
each  new  and  surprising  shock,  it  might  not  be  quite 
so  bad. 

Minutes  dragged  along  until  they  seemed  almost 
like  hours  to  the  scouts  who,  imprisoned  in  that 
small  cabin,  found  themselves  at  the  mercy  and 
sport  of  the  flood  that  was  pouring  down  the  Sus- 
quehanna.  Why,  sometimes  it  seemed  to  Bumpus 
he  must  be  living  in  the  time  of  old  Noah,  and  that 
this  was  the  ark  of  refuge,  with  the  forty  days  of 
solid  rain  beating  down  upon  it.  Yes,  and  he  could 
almost  fancy  that  he  had  some  of  the  animals  that 
were  taken  in,  two  by  two,  around  him,  judging 
from  the  queer  attitudes  which  Davy  Jones  was 


112  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

striking,  for  he  was  on  all  fours  about  half  the 
time. 

Thad  had  figured  out  what  they  must  do  in  case 
of  a  wreck.  This  was  to  stand  by  the  boat  as  long 
as  she  remained  afloat,  and  only  strike  out  for  the 
shore  in  case  of  a  complete  collapse.  He  knew  the 
terrible  risk  all  of  them  would  run  if  they  attempted 
to  swim  that  swollen  stream,  without  daylight  to 
give  them  cheer,  or  show  them  their  bearings;  and 
it  was  the  last  thing  he  wanted  to  try. 

Perhaps  nearly  half  an  hour  may  have  elapsed 
since  the  boat  had  struck  that  sloping  shelf  of  hid- 
den rock,  when  once  again  the  same  experience  came 
upon  them. 

This  time  they  seemed  to  have  been  driven  with 
such  speed  that  the  boat  slid  far  up  on  the  rock, 
and  immediately  careened  toward  the  larboard. 

"We're  going  over  this  time,  sure!"  shouted  Gi- 
raffe ;  and  there  was  not  one  of  his  companions  but 
whose  mind  was  filled  with  the  same  fear;  for  it 
seemed  as  though  nothing  could  prevent  such  a  ca- 
tastrophe from  happening. 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         113 


CHAPTER   XII. 

HEARTS   COURAGEOUS. 

IT  was  a  time  of  terrible  suspense  as  the  boat 
tilted  so  far  on  one  side  that  one  or  two  of  the  boys 
slipped,  and  fell,  as  though  they  were  straddling 
a  bobsled,  and  on  a  steep  down  grade. 

Higher  still  reared  the  one  side  of  the  cabin,  un- 
til it  seemed  as  though  the  hearts  of  some  of  the 
boys  were  in  their  throats. 

"Get  on  the  other  side,  everybody,  quick!"  Thad 
was  shouting  now,  and  the  sound  of  his  clarion 
voice  thrilled  them  as  nothing  else  could  have  done. 

It  was  not  so  easy  to  obey,  such  was  the  dread- 
ful slope  to  the  floor  of  the  cabin ;  but  Giraffe  gave 
a  helpful  hand  to  struggling  Bumpus,  and  on  the 
other  side  Allan  fastened  a  good  grip  on  the  stout 
one,  so  that  between  them  both  he  was  speedily 
landed  where  he  would  do  the  most  good. 

Immediately  the  effect  of  this  change  of  base  be- 
gan to  make  itself  felt,  for  instead  of  continuing 
to  rear  up,  that  side  of  the  boat  settled  slowly  back. 

"She's  slipping,  and  turning  around!"  cried  Gi- 
raffe; "we're  going  to  get  off  the  old  turtle-back 
rock,  don't  you  forget  it!  Whoop!" 

As  he  gave  that  last  yell  the  shanty  boat  did  in- 
deed settle  on  an  even  keel,  and  once  more  there 
was  a  buoyancy  and  motion  to  her.  This  told  even 


114  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

Bumpus,  who  was  not  supposed  to  know  a  great 
deal  about  boats,  that  they  were  free  from  all  en- 
tangling alliances,  and  once  more  racing  madly 
down  the  river  at  the  mercy  o'f  the  flood. 

Such  was  the  hysterical  excitement  under  which 
all  were  laboring  that  regardless  of  what  might  still 
be  awaiting  them  in  the  near  future  the  boys  be- 
gan to  yell,  in  order  to  relieve  their  pent-up  feel- 
ings. 

They  soon  stopped  that  sort  of  thing,  however, 
when  their  first  exultation  had  passed,  for,  as  Bum- 
pus  remarked,  "it  was  just  to  begin  over  again,  and 
perhaps  get  upset  after  all." 

"Better  keep  that  till  we're  safe  ashore,"  Giraffe 
went  on  to  remark.  "You  know  the  old  saying  in 
pioneer  days  used  to  be  that  an  Indian  never  ought 
to  yell  till  he  was  in  the  woods;  and  a  white  man 
till  he  was  out  of  the  woods.  So  we'll  keep  our 
breath  a  while.  It's  all  going  to  come  out  right,  see 
if  it  ain't." 

Giraffe  undoubtedly  added  these  concluding  re- 
assuring words  for  the  particular  benefit  of  Bum- 
pus,  who  was  looking,  as  the  tall  scout  privately  in- 
formed Step  Hen  back  of  his  hand,  "just  as  limp 
as  a  dish  rag,  so  to  speak." 

"I  hope  so,  Giraffe;  I  surely  hope  so,"  the  fat 
scout  told  him.  "Why,  I  believe  I  could  face  being 
burned  up  in  a  forest  fire  better  than  being 
drowned.  It's  always  been  an  awful  idea  to  me  to 
float  along  on  the  water,  and  have  the  little  fishes 
and  turtles  nibbling  at  you  all  the  while.  Thank 
you  for  saying  we've  still  got  a  fighting  chance. 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         115 

Giraffe.  It  was  kind  of  you,  and  I  won't  forget  it, 
either." 

\\fhen  Giraffe  looked  up  he  saw  Thad  nodding  his 
head  toward  him,  and  he  knew  the  explanation  of 
the  encouraging  smile  on  the  patrol  leader's  face. 
It  meant  that  Thad  understood  why  he  had  taken 
the  trouble  to  say  what  he  did,  and  wished  to  en- 
courage all  such  efforts  to  the  limit,  as  being  worthy 
of  the  best  traditions  of  scoutcraft. 

"Giraffe,  will  you  do  me  a  favor?"  asked  Davy, 
after  another  period  of  alternate  hope  and  fear  had 
passed  by. 

"To  be  sure  I  will,  Davy,  if  it's  in  my  power; 
only  I  hope  you  won't  ask  me  to  jump  overboard, 
and  try  to  tow  the  old  tub  ashore,  or  anything  like 
that." 

"Just  take  a  look  at  my  head,  please,"  suggested 
the  other,  bending  forward  as  he  spoke. 

"Well,  I  don't  see  that  it's  swelled  any  since  the 
last  time,"  remarked  Giraffe ;  "and,  besides,  strikes 
me  you  haven't  been  doing  any  great  stunts  lately 
that'd  be  apt  to  make  you  have  the  big  head.  What- 
ever do  you  want  me  to  do,  Davy?" 

"Tell  me  if  it's  changed  white,"  replied  the  other 
pleadingly,  "because  I  reckon  the  scares  we've  had 
thrown  into  us  this  last  half  hour  have  sure  been 
enough  to  turn  any  poor  fellow's  hair.  Will  they 
know  me  at  home,  if  I'm  ever  lucky  enough  to  get 
back  there  again;  or  can  I  expect  to  have  the  door 
shut  in  my  face,  and  our  old  dog  Tige  chase  me 
over  the  back  fence?" 

"Oh!  you  haven't  changed  much,"  Giraffe  as- 
sured him,  "except  that  there's  an  anxious  look 


116  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

stamped  on  your  face  like  it'd  never  come  off  again. 
I'm  surprised  at  you,  Davy;  why  don't  you  grin 
and  bear  it  like  I  do?  This  is  only  going  to  be 
another  of  our  experiences,  and  before  long  you'll 
look  back  at  it,  and  laugh  at  the  whole  business. 
Wheel  there  she  rises  again,  fellows.  Everybody 
climb!" 

They  were  becoming  quite  expert  now  with  re- 
gard to  executing  what  Giraffe  called  a  "flank 
movement ;"  for  even  Bumpus  was  able  to  scramble 
up  the  sloping  floor  before  anyone  could  take  hold 
of  his  arms. 

Again  they  felt  more  or  less  concerned  while  the 
boat  hung  in  a  state  of  uncertainty,  as  though  un- 
decided whether  to  keep  on  turning  until  the  upset 
came,  or  slide  off  again  into  deep  water. 

When  the  latter  came  to  pass  all  of  them  breathed 
easy  again. 

"And  to  think,"  said  Smithy,  taking  a  full  breath, 
"this  sort  of  thing  has  got  to  continue  for  hours, 
before  morning  comes.  Why,  we'll  be  out  of  our 
minds,  I'm  afraid." 

"We're  lucky  to  have  any  minds  at  all,  to  go 
out  of,"  Giraffe  told  him.  "Some  fellows  would 
be  that  way  to  start  with — present  company  always 
excepted,  you  know." 

Giraffe  was  one  of  those  kind  of  boys  who  would 
have  his  little  fling  at  a  joke,  no  matter  what  sort 
of  a  scrape  he  might  be  in.  Such  a  buoyant  nature 
helped  to  keep  the  spirits  of  his  comrades  up,  and 
so  far  it  was  useful,  at  least. 

"What  time  is  it,  anyway?"  demanded  Step  Hen. 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         117 

"Seems  to  me  we've  been  banging  around  like  this 
for  a  whole  week  or  so." 

"Five  o'clock!"  announced  Allan. 

"We  ought  to  have  daylight  at  seven,  even  on 
such  a  bad  morning,"  remarked  Thad,  "which 
would  mean  about  two  more  hours  of  it  before  we 
can  make  any  sort  of  a  move  to  get  ashore." 

"Two  whole  hours!"  sighed  Bumpus,  looking  as 
though  he  feared  he  would  be  mashed  into  a  mere 
pulp  by  that  time. 

"Let's  try  and  forget  our  troubles,"  remarked 
Giraffe;  "suppose,  now,  Bumpus  here  could  start 
one  of  his  jolly  songs,  and  we'd  all  come  in  heavy 
on  the  chorus.  That'd  be  something  worth  while 
remembering  in  future  days,  when  we  wanted  folks 
to  know  how  scouts  could  face  trouble  bravely." 

"Ugh!"  cried  Bumpus,  starting  up,  "that  makes 
me  think  of  stories  I've  read  how  the  British  crew 
on  the  battleship  Campertown  lined  up  as  she  was 
sinking,  and  with  the  band  playing  went  down  in 
the  ocean.  Do  you  really  think  that's  what's  going 
to  happen  to  us  here,  Giraffe;  and  is  it  a  funeral 
dirge  you  want  me  to  start?" 

"Not  a  bit  of  it,  but  the  liveliest  song  you  know, 
old  fellow;  so  get  busy,  and  it'll  make  us  feel  bet- 
ter all  around,"  the  tall  scout  assured  him. 

Bumpus  swallowed  hard  several  times,  as  though 
not  at  all  sure  about  his  voice,  and  then  he  started 
in.  At  first  there  was  a  decided  tremolo  noticeable, 
but  as  he  went  on  he  gained  assurance,  and  pres- 
ently was  doing  nobly.  When  the  proper  time  came 
for  the  chorus  every  one  of  them  joined  in,  so  that 
the  volume  of  sound  must  have  arisen  well  above 


118  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

the  noise  of  the  rushing  waters  and  the  wild  blasts 
of  the  wind  through  the  leafless  trees  ashore. 

Had  anyone  by  chance  been  within  hearing  dis- 
tance and  caught  the  clamor  of  boyish  voices  that 
swelled  forth  from  the  cabin  of  that  shanty  boat, 
drifting  down  on  the  bosom  of  the  mighty  flood, 
they  might  well  have  been  pardoned  if  they  found 
themselves  wondering  whether  some  asylum  had 
yielded  up  its  inmates,  the  whole  thing  appeared  so 
remarkable. 

Giraffe  was  right,  and  Thad,  knowing  it,  had  not 
attempted  to  raise  a  hand  to  prevent  the  carrying 
out  of  the  singular  compact.  That  song  cheered 
them  up  wonderfully  indeed;  by  the  time  it  was 
ended  even  Bumpus  felt  quite  sanguine  that  they 
were  bound  to  pass  through  the  fresh  trial  un- 
scathed. He  was  ready  to  carry  on  the  good  work 
as  long  as  his  voice  held  out. 

So  he  started  a  second  school  song  that  was 
familiar  to  them,  and  being  in  better  practice  now, 
they  all  did  more  justice  to  the  theme. 

It  was  interrupted  by  the  surging  boat  striking 
a  rock,  so  that  the  sudden  jar  tumbled  them  in  a 
heap;  but  upon  scrambling  to  their  feet  once  more 
the  singing  was  taken  up  again  as  though  nothing 
had  happened. 

Thad  was  wondering  whether  any  damage  could 
have  been  done  when  that  last  hard  knock  came 
against  the  timbers  of  the  boat.  He  did  not  know 
what  they  could  stand  in  the  way  of  resistance. 
They  might  be  old,  and  weather-beaten,  ready  to 
yield  if  harshly  treated. 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         119 

And  so,  as  his  comrades  sang  on  at  a  vociferous 
rate,  Thad  was  trying  to  discover  whether  there 
were  any  signs  of  the  boat  foundering,  which  was 
apt  to  happen  in  case  of  a  puncture  below  the  water 
line. 

Of  course  he  could  not  make  absolutely  sure,  but 
so  far  as  he  was  able  to  tell  there  did  not  seem  to 
be  anything  wrong;  the  boat  floated  as  buoyantly 
as  before  the  collision. 

When  all  of  the  boys  found  themselves  getting 
more  or  less  hoarse  from  their  strained  singing 
they  stopped;  but  Bumpus  by  this  time  felt  so 
heartened  that  his  next  move  was  to  clutch  his  be- 
loved bugle,  and  proceed  to  run  the  gamut  of 
everything  he  knew,  from  military  calls  to  "  'Way 
Down  on  the  Suwanee  River,"  "Old  Black  Joe," 
and  a  dozen  other  melodies  that  he  could  execute 
with  considerable  feeling  and  sweetness  on  the  sil- 
ver-tongued instrument^ 

In  this  fashion  possibly  another  half  hour  passed. 
When  Smithy  asked  for  the  time,  and  they  heard 
Allan  say  there  was  still  a  terribly  long  spell  ahead 
of  them,  the  scouts  were  at  a  loss  to  know  just  what 
to  do  in  order  to  forget  their  troubles,  and  make  the 
minutes  seem  to  pass  quickly. 

They  were  spared  the  necessity  of  inventing  some 
way,  for  just  then  there  came  one  of  those  sudden 
halts  in  the  forward  progress  of  the  drifting  shanty 
boat. 

"Another  snag!"  shouted  Giraffe,  as  though  the 
frequency  of  these  mishaps  was  beginning  to  take 
their  terror  away. 


120  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

"But  notice  that  this  time  we  don't  seem  to  tilt 
over  to  one  side;  and  it  feels  firmer,  too!"  Step 
Hen  wanted  them  to  understand. 

"Then  chances  are  we're  stuck  here  for  a  while, 
till  the  river  rises,  and  sets  us  free!"  commented 
Davy. 

Allan  and  Thad  exchanged  significant  looks. 

"Do  you  think  there's  anything  in  that,  Thad,  or 
can  it  be  land?"  asked  the  former,  as  he  saw  his 
chum  start  for  the  door,  which  was  partly  open  at 
the  time. 

"The  rain  seems  to  have  let  up  some,  anyway!" 
proclaimed  Smithy,  as  though  he  did  not  want  them 
to  think  he  was  behind  the  rest  in  noticing  things 
worth  while. 

When  the  two  scouts  reached  the  door  and  thrust 
their  heads  out,  they  saw  the  same  old  gloom  there, 
"thick  enough  to  cut  with  a  knife,"  as  Giraffe  would 
have  said.  But  Thad  discovered  something  more. 

"Look  up  against  the  sky,  Allan!"  he  cried  joy- 
ously. 

"Trees,  as  sure  as  you  live!"  shouted  the  other, 
almost  immediately. 

"What's  that  you  say?"  roared  Giraffe,  pushing 
alongside ;  "trees,  is  it,  and  us  out  in  the  middle  of 
the  flooded  Susquehanna?  How's  that  come,  Thad? 
Is  this  an  old  island  we've  bumped  against?" 

"I  calculate  that's  just  what  it  is,  Giraffe,"  was 
the  reply  of  the  patrol  leader;  and  at  hearing  this 
astonishing  as  well  as  pleasing  news  the  rest  of  the 
inmates  of  the  cabin  broke  out  into  a  shout  that 
under  ordinary  conditions  might  have  been  heard 
a  full  mile  away. 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         121 

"Hurrah!  hurrah!  hurrah,  and  a  tiger!"  was 
what  Giraffe  called  for  and  the  cheers  were  giver 
with  a  vim  that  took  their  breath  awav. 


122  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

THE  ISLAND  OF  HOPE. 

"GiVE  me  the  solid  ground  every  time,"  Bumpus 
burst  out  with;  and  from  the  broad  grin  on  his 
face,  no  longer  pallid,  it  was  easy  to  see  that  he 
meant  what  he  said. 

"You  need  it!"  Step  Hen  told  him  dryly,  which 
of  course  was  a  little  thrust  at  the  heft  of  the  stout 
scout. 

"When  do  we  expect  to  go  ashore,  Thad,  may  I 
ask?"  Smithy  wanted  to  know. 

"The  rain  is  stopping,  as  sure  as  anything,  and 
that's  one  comfort,"  declared  Davy,  knowing  the 
aversion  felt  by  the  particular  member  of  the  patrol, 
who  belonged  to  the  great  Smith  family,  to  get- 
ting his  nice  suit  wet. 

"The  best  we  can  do,"  came  the  reply  from  the 
chief  of  the  expedition,  "is  to  get  our  duffel  ready, 
and  if  there's  any  sign  of  the  boat  moving  off,  why 
we  could  disembark  in  a  big  hurry." 

"Granny  governor!  do  you  really  think  she  may 
take  a  sudden  notion  to  start  out  again  on  another 
cruise?"  asked  Bumpus,  looking  anxious. 

"That's  hard  to  say,"  he  was  told,  "because  it 
depends  a  whole  lot  on  what  the  wind  does.  It's 
blowing  great  guns  right  now,  but  so  long  as  it 
holds  down-river  way  I  think  the  shanty  boat  will 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         123 

stick  here  on  this  point.  But  there's  a  chance  of  it 
changing  more  into  the  northwest,  and  then  noth- 
ing could  hold  the  boat  here." 

"But  couldn't  we  tie  her  up  somehow  to  one  of 
those  trees,  you  know?"  demanded  Smithy. 

"Yes,  if  we  had  the  cable  to  do  it  with,"  Thad 
informed  him. 

"But — there  was  a  rope,  seems  to  me?"  contin- 
ued Smithy. 

"Take  a  look  at  it,  Allan,  and  let's  hear  what  you 
think,"  said  the  leader. 

At  that  Allan  darted  outside,  despising  the  scanty 
rain  that  was  still  coming  down,  though  decreasing 
constantly.  Hardly  had  half  a  minute  elapsed  be- 
fore the  scout  was  back  inside  again. 

"Well,  what's  doing?"  asked  Giraffe  impatiently. 

"There's  a  piece  of  cable  there,  all  right,"  came 
the  reply;  "I  dragged  it  out  of  the  water  where  it's 
been  ever  since  we  broke  away  up  above.  Seems  to 
be  a  pretty  hefty  rope,  too,  even  if  it  did  give  way 
under  that  terrific  strain;  but  for  all  that,  boys,  it 
won't  do." 

"You  mean  there  isn't  enough  of  it,  don't  you, 
Allan?"  asked  Thad,  who  apparently  had  foreseen 
just  such  an  answer. 

"Lacks  many  feet  of  being  worth  while,"  replied 
the  other;  "so  you  see,  Smithy,  a  rope's  something 
we  haven't  got." 

"  'A  horse,  a  horse,  my  kingdom  for  a  horse/  only 
in  this  case  it's  a  bully  old  half-inch  cable  we  want 
most  of  all,"  Giraffe  asserted. 

"Well,  I  think  we'd  better  take  Thad's  advice, 
and  get  our  stuff  together,  so  if  it  comes  to  a  case 


124  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

of  jump  we'll  be  ready  to  skip  out  of  this,"  Bumpus 
remarked;  for  he  evidently  dreaded  another  siege 
similar  to  the  last,  with  the  shanty  boat  whirling 
down  the  agitated  river,  subject  to  innumerable 
risks,  such  as  kept  one's  heart  jumping  up  toward 
his  throat  in  a  most  uncomfortable  way,  to  say  the 
least. 

It  did  not  take  them  long  to  do  this,  for  besides 
their  haversacks,  blankets,  guns,  and  the  few  cook- 
ing utensils  they  had  with  them,  their  possessions 
did  not  amount  to  much. 

"How  about  the  stuff  aboard  the  old  boat — had 
we  ought  to  commandeer  that  ?"  asked  Giraffe,  who 
did  dislike  to  see  anything  in  the  shape  of  food  get 
away  from  him,  when  it  might  just  as  well  be  saved. 

"I  should  think  we  had  a  right  to  grab  what  food 
there  is.  It  don't  amount  to  a  great  deal,  and 
we'd  be  only  too  glad  to  pay  for  the  same  if  ever 
we  ran  across  the  owner  of  the  tub,"  ventured 
Bumpus,  also  having  an  eye  to  the  future,  and  a 
strong  dislike  for  the  first  gnawing  of  hunger. 

They  all  looked  to  Thad  to  decide  that  point. 

"Since  the  chances  are  the  boat  will  either  be 
wrecked  on  some  of  these  ugly  jagged  rocks  that 
lie  in  wait  all  along  the  course,  or  else  fall  into  the 
hands  of  boys  who  may  be  watching  the  flood  for 
driftwood  and  such  stuff,  it  seems  all  right  to  me 
to  take  what  we  want." 

"The  right  of  first  discoverers!"  remarked 
Smithy  grandly. 

"There's  a  piece  of  breakfast  bacon,  suh,  hanging 
up  behind  the  stove,"  quickly  announced  Bob  White, 
who  apparently  clung  to  the  ways  of  his  beloved 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         125 

South,  where  the  ordinary  salt  pork  is  always  called 
"bacon,"  and  the  smoked  sides  go  under  the  name 
he  mentioned. 

"And  a  package  of  grits  as  you  call  the  fine 
hominy  corn,  in  that  box  under  the  table,  Bob, 
which  ought  to  make  you  as  happy  as  a  king.  What 
more  could  a  fellow  from  Dixieland  want  more 
than  hog  and  hominy?"  Allan  laughingly  an- 
nounced. 

They  gathered  the  things  wanted  near  the  door, 
and  every  scout  knew  exactly  what  his  identical 
share  of  the  burden  was  going  to  be.  This  was 
done  so  that  if  there  should  be  any  need  for  a  hur- 
ried desertion  of  the  boat  there  might  not  ensue 
any  disastrous  confusion  that  would  cost  them 
dearly. 

"I  reckon  now  the  old  cheese-box-on-a-raft  would 
turn  out  too  heavy  for  us  to  drag  any  further  up 
on  the  shore,  so  even  the  wind  couldn't  take  her 
off?"  Step  Hen  chanced  to  remark,  after  they  had 
finished  their  preparations  for  departure,  and  hud- 
dled near  the  door,  taking  frequent  observations 
concerning  the  state  of  the  weather  outside. 

"I'm  afraid  so,"  Thad  returned,  "though  we 
might  give  it  a  try  when  we  do  drop  ashore,  and  see 
what  we  can  do>\  These  scows  weigh  tons,  you 
know,  and  get  logy  in  the  bargain  from  being  so 
long  in  the  water.  We'd  need  a  block  and  tackle  to 
manage  it  decently." 

"Well,  it's  a  pity  we  didn't  think  to  bring  one 
along,  then,"  commented  innocent  Smithy,  at  which 
remark  the  rest  set  up  a  yell. 

"I  can  see  you  staggering  along  with  the  whole 


126  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

outfit  on  your  back,  Smithy,"  he  was  told  by  Gi- 
raffe; "why,  the  blocks  alone  would  faze  you,  not 
to  mention  the  rope  itself.  If  you've  got  a  boat 
to  carry  it  in,  then  it's  all  right  to  have  the  same 
along.  But  we  started  off  light  on  this  trip,  you 
remember." 

"Like  fun  we  did,"  grunted  Bumpus ;  "that  pack 
of  mine  weighs  an  awful  lot ;  and  then  the  old  cof- 
fee pot  keeps  cracking  my  shins  every  time  I  trip. 
But  of  course,"  he  hastened  to  add,  as  though  he 
hoped  they  would  not  believe  he  was  complaining, 
"we  couldn't  think  of  going  without  our  refreshing 
Java  for  breakfasts.  Life'd  be  pretty  dreary  to 
Giraffe,  and  a  few  of  the  rest  of  us,  if  we  didn't 
have  their  favorite  beverage  mornings." 

"But  look  out  there,  fellows,  and  tell  me  if  you 
don't  think  it's  really  getting  some  lighter,"  Step 
Hen  besought  them. 

"Well,  you  can  see  the  trees  a  heap  better  than 
before,"  admitted  Giraffe;  "but  that  might  come 
from  our  eyes  getting  more  accustomed  to  looking 
into  the  darkness." 

"No,  it's  full  time  for  day  to  break,"  they  were 
assured  by  Allan,  who  had  immediately  turned  to- 
ward the  friendly  little  lamp  so  as  to  examine  his 
watch. 

A  general  sigh  as  of  relief  followed  this  welcome 
announcement.  That  had  been  a  terribly  long 
night,  and  one  those  scouts  were  hot  apt  to  forget 
in  a  hurry.  They  may  have  been  through  consid- 
erable in  the  way  of  adventure  in  the  past,  but  some- 
how that  experience  of  being  carried  headlong 
downstream  on  the  wild  flood,  with  frequent  alarms 


as  the  boat  struck  treacherous  shoals  and  half-hid- 
den rocks,  made  a  deep  impression  on  their  minds, 
from  the  leader  down  to  Bumpus. 

"Do  you  think  it's  going  to  clear  up?"  asked 
Smithy,  who  did  not  pretend  to  be  a  weather  sharp, 
and  always  depended  on  some  of  his  mates  when  in 
need  of  information  along  these  lines. 

"I  don't  believe  it's  raining  a  single  drop  now," 
Davy  informed  them,  after  stepping  outside  on  the 
deck,  and  holding  up  his  face  to  learn  the  truth. 

"But  it's  just  as  gray  overhead  as  ever,"  added 
Giraffe,  who  could  be  a  pessimist  when  he  chose, 
and  always  see  the  dark  side  of  things. 

"I  move  we  have  a  bite  to  eat  while  we're  waiting 
for  morning  to  come,"  suggested  Allan;  and  from 
the  way  both  Giraffe  and  Bumpus  started  eagerly 
up,  as  though  they  heartily  approved  of  the  idea,  it 
was  plain  that  both  of  them  had  been  thinking  along 
these  same  lines  though  not  wishing  to  betray  their 
inclinations,  for  fear  of  having  the  finger  of  scorn 
pointed  at  them. 

The  suggestion  seemed  to  meet  with  popular 
favor;  at  least  it  aroused  no  objections,  for  all  of 
them  realized  that  with  such  a  deluge,  dry  wood 
was  going  to  be  a  scarce  commodity  ashore  for  part 
of  the  ensuing  day  at  least;  and  it  was  only  policy 
for  them  to  take  advantage  of  the  chance  they  had 
of  obtaining  a  splendid  cooking  fire  aboard  the  boat. 

The  operation  of  preparing  breakfast  did  not 
take  them  a  great  while,  for  long  experience  made 
them  experts  along  these  lines.  And  while  they 
were  doing  this  the  darkness  without  gradually 
gave  way  to  the  gray  dawn. 


128  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

While  the  immediate  prospect  ahead  of  them  was 
far  from  cheerful,  it  seemed  such  a  vast  improve- 
ment over  what  they  had  recently  faced  that  every 
one  of  the  eight  boys  felt  ready  to  joke  and  laugh 
as  they  partook  of  the  meal. 

Step  Hen  was  up  to  his  old  tricks  again,  and  ac- 
cusing his  chums  of  hiding  some  of  his  possessions 
that  afterward  turned  up  in  the  very  place  he  had 
put  them.  It  was  generally  that  way,  for  Step  Hen 
forgot,  which  was  his  most  cardinal  sin.  And  even 
when  he  found  that  he  had  his  bandanna  tied  around 
his  neck,  though  tucked  out  of  sight,  after  asking 
Giraffe  if  he  had  purloined  the  same,  he  indignantly 
wanted  to  k  iow  who  had  played  that  mean  trick  Cfi 
him,  so  as  to  make  him  believe  he  had  lost  his  most 
cherished  possession. 

"Step  Hen,"  said  Giraffe  gravely,  "you  make  me 
think  of  one  of  those  pearl  divers  that  go  down  in 
the  Indian  Ocean  for  oysters.  When  a  big  shark 
waits  for  him  to  rise  from  the  bottom  what  does 
the  native  do  but  stir  up  the  sand,  and  make  the 
water  so  roily  that  the  man-eater  just  can't  see  him 
when  he  shoots  to  the  surface." 

"Oh !  so  I'm  a  shark,  am  I  ?"  demanded  Step  Hen 
indignantly. 

"No,  you're  the  smart  pearl  diver,"  retorted  Gi- 
raffe ;  "for  when  you  find  yourself  caught  in  a  hole, 
and  that  all  the  while  you're  wearing  the  lost  hat 
or  the  bandanna,  you  accuse  us  of  having  put  it 
there,  so  as  to  blind  everybody's  eyes." 

"Yes,"  added  Allan,  with  a  laugh,  "Step  Hen  is 
like  the  thief  being  chased  by  a  mob;  and  who  yells 
out  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  'Stop,  thief !'  so  every- 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         129 

body  he  meets  will  think  he's  the  man  who's  been 
robbed;  and  in  the  confusion  he  gets  off.  You're 
the  guilty  one  who  poked  that  red  rag  under  the 
collar  of  your  flannel  shirt,  and  the  less  you  say 
about  it  the  better." 

Whereupon  Step  Hen,  finding  himself  routed, 
only  grinned,  and  wisely  held  his  peace,  realizing 
that  the  boys  were  "on  to  him,"  as  Giraffe  put  it. 

So  breakfast  was  eaten,  and  at  least  they  all  felt 
in  better  trim  to  face  what  new  troubles  the  day 
might  bring  in  its  train. 

Bumpus  would  never  be  happy  so  long  as  they 
remained  aboard  that  clumsy  craft.  He  haunted 
the  deck,  and  kept  watching  the  rushing  river,  as 
well  as  the  way  the  furious  wind  blew. 

Whenever  a  gust  bore  down  upon  them  that 
caused  the  boat  to  move  he  would  hurry  inside, 
and  give  Thad  a  look  of  mute  appeal  that  was  very 
forceful.  It  meant  that  Bumpus  wanted  the  leader 
to  give  the  word  to  disembark.  Though  the  island 
presented  but  a  dismal  prospect  for  the  castaways, 
anything  was  better  than  running  the  risk  of  being 
blown  adrift  again.  And  Bumpus  did  want  to  feel 
solid  ground  under  his  feet  again  more  than  words 
could  say. 

Thad,  however,  did  not  mean  to  desert  their  com- 
fortable quarters  so  easily,  and  had  made  up  his 
mind  to  wait  until  the  danger  became  more  real  and 
apparent.  This  must  all  depend  upon  the  force 
and  direction  of  the  wind,  which,  however,  all  of 
them  could  see  was  steadily  veering  toward  the 
northwest 


130  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

STILL  SURROUNDED   BY   PERILS. 

"WE'RE  lucky  to  be  here  and  not  out  there  on 
that  water,"  Thad  said,  in  the  ear  of  the  stout 
scout,  as  he  came  upon  him  standing  in  the  lee  of 
the  cabin,  and  looking  across  the  river,  which 
seemed  very  wide  at  this  point,  though  probably 
extremely  shallow  despite  the  flood. 

"I  should  say  we  were,"  admitted  Bumpus,  shak- 
ing his  head.  "Looks  ugly,  doesn't  it,  with  the  wind 
flaws  rushing  over  the  water  every  little  way,  and 
making  a  dark  streak  with  each  squall?  But  don't 
you  think  she's  still  rising,  Thad?" 

"No  doubt  about  it,"  he  was  told.  "When  I  came 
out  here  a  while  ago  it  stood  six  inches  below  that 
black  mark  on  the  rock  you  can  see  there,  and  look 
what  it  is  now." 

"Not  more'n  three,"  muttered  Bumpus  appre- 
hensively; "but,  Thad,  you  don't  really  think  she's 
going  to  keep  on  rising,  and  that  some  time  the 
whole  island'll  be  covered,  do  you?" 

Seeing  what  had  been  worrying  Bumpus,  Thad 
did  not  do  as  was  Giraffe's  usual  habit,  add  to  his 
fears  by  portentous  suggestions.  On  the  contrary 
he  sought  to  dissipate  all  such  uneasy  thoughts  by 
plain  common  sense. 

"That  could  hardly  happen,  Burnpus,"  he  told  the 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         131 

other  plainly;  "if  you  use  your  eyes  you'll  see  the 
land  keeps  on  rising  as  it  leaves  the  water,  so  that 
it  stands  to  reason  there's  quite  an  elevation  about 
the  middle  of  the  island.  And  as  the  rain  has 
stopped,  with  signs  of  the  clouds  breaking  over  in 
the  northwest,  I  figure  that  while  the  river  may 
continue  to  rise  all  day,  the  increase  will  get  less 
and  less,  so  that  by  another  morning  it  ought  to  be 
back  in  its  regular  banks  again." 

"Well,  I'm  sure  glad  to  hear  you  say  that,  Thad, 
because,  you  know,  I'm  not  near  as  spry  as  Davy 
about  climbing  trees.  He's  a  born  monkey,  if  ever 
there  was  one,  and  likes  nothing  better  than  to  hang 
by  his  toes  from  a  limb  fifty  feet  up.  Now,  I'd 
look  nice  doing  that,  wouldn't  I  ?  So  what  you  tell 
me  eases  my  mind  a  whole  lot." 

"We  ought  to  be  feeling  thankful  we  passed 
through  all  we  did  without  any  serious  accident," 
Thad  told  him.  "This  flood  may  have  caught  a  lot 
of  people  not  prepared,  along  the  low  lands  of  the 
river,  and  I  expect  to  see  pig-pens  and  chicken 
roops  sailing  past  here  to-day." 

"Oh!  and  if  we  could  only  lasso  some  of  those 
coops,  why,  we  might  find  a  few  feathered  song- 
birds inside  the  same,  which  would  be  a  great  addi- 
tion to  our  menu  while  we're  marooned  on  this 
island,"  Bumpus  suggested  gleefully. 

"But  as  we  haven't  any  rope  to  use  as  a  lariat," 
Thad  told  him,  "I'm  afraid  that  lovely  scheme  won't 
pan  out  very  well.  Still,  I'm  glad  to  see  that  you're 
awake  to  the  necessity  of  invention.  Thinking  up 
things  is  going  to  do  anyone  lots  of  good,  even  if 
there's  no  practical  result." 


132  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

"But  what  about  the  wind,  Thad?" 

"Still  shifting,  and  going  to  do  the  business  for 
this  old  boat,  sooner  or  later,  if  it  keeps  blowing 
as  hard  as  it  is  now,"  the  patrol  leader  replied. 

"I  was  thinking  I'd  like  to  be  the  first  to  set  foot 
on  the  island ;  not  that  I'm  afraid,  I  hope  you'll  be- 
lieve, Thad;  but  just  from  a  sort  of  sentimental 
reason,  you  know." 

"Well,  chances  are  we'll  all  be  doing  it  pretty 
soon,  Bumpus;  so  if  you  really  want  to,  go  ahead," 
Thad  told  him,  keeping  a  straight  face  while  speak- 
ing, but  at  the  same  time  much  amused,  for  he 
knew  that  despite  the  solemn  protest  of  his  com- 
panion Bumpus  was  very  uneasy. 

Ten  minutes  later  and  Giraffe  called  out : 

"Say,  what  d'ye  think,  fellows,  we've  been  left 
in  the  lurch.  Bumpus  has  deserted  us,  and  is 
camped  ashore  right  now,  spread  his  blanket  out  on 
a  log,  and  is  sitting  there  like  the  king  of  the  can- 
nibal island.  He  must  have  felt  the  boat  getting 
wobbly,  and  thought  he'd  make  sure  not  to  be  in 
the  last  rush  when  she  broke  away." 

"I  told  him  to  go  ashore,"  Thad  informed  them; 
"and  I  guess  the  rest  of  us  would  be  wise  to  fol- 
low his  example.  So  get  your  stuff  and  come  on, 
the  whole  lot  of  you." 

"I  just  hate  to  leave  all  that  nice  dry  kindling 
wood  behind  me,"  complained  Giraffe,  whose  spe- 
cialty was  fires  of  any  and  all  kinds,  and  who  never 
failed  to  keep  an  eye  out  for  a  chance  to  have  one 
started. 

"All  right,  then,  there's  nothing  to  hinder  you 
from  coming  back  after  it,"  Thad  told  him.  "Get 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         133 

Step  Hen  or  Davy  to  lend  a  hand.  If  we  have  to 
stay  on  the  island  for  twenty-four  hours,  more  or 
less,  we  might  as  well  have  all  the  comforts  going, 
and  at  that  they  won't  swamp  us." 

"I'll  do  that  same  as  sure  as  you  live,"  asserted 
the  lengthy  scout,  pleased  with  the  suggestion. 

So  after  they  deposited  their  belongings,  together 
with  what  they  had  appropriated  from  the  owner's 
scanty  stock  of  food,  Giraffe  spoke  up. 

"Davy,  Thad  says  you  might  go  back  with  me 
and  help  land  something  we  can  make  good  use  of, 
if  the  boat  should  be  drifted  away." 

"What!  you  don't  want  the  old  cracked  stove,  I 
hope?"  ejaculated  Davy,  guessing  that  it  must 
have  something  to  do  with  cooking,  or  Giraffe 
would  not  be  displaying  so  much  eagerness  about  it. 

"What !  me  carry  a  stove  on  shore  when  I  know 
a  dozen  ways  to  cook  on  a  regular  camp  fire  ?"  cried 
the  tall  scout  derisively ;  "well,  I  should  say  nothing 
doing  along  that  line.  But  we'll  have  trouble  get- 
ting dry  wood  to  start  things  with,  and  so  Thad 
says  we  might  as  well  throw  all  that  lot  on  shore 
here." 

Davy  was  a  reasonable  fellow,  and  he  saw  the 
good  sense  of  such  a  move  at  once;  so  he  readily 
agreed  to  go  aboard  the  abandoned  shanty  boat 
with  Giraffe,  and  take  possession  of  the  fuel  supply. 

As  the  wind  carried  more  or  less  spray  across 
the  exposed  place  where  the  boys  had  landed,  it 
was  later  on  agreed  that  they  would  do  well  to  go 
further  ashore.  The  trees  were  bare,  and  there 
would  be  no  drip,  as  might  have  been  the  case  in 
summertime. 


134  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

"Makes  me  think  of  a  gypsy  caravan  on  the 
tramp!"  Step  Hen  announced,  after  all  of  them  were 
on  the  move,  laden  down  with  their  various  bur- 
dens, Giraffe  even  carrying  a  small  package  of 
extra-fine  kindling,  with  which  he  meant  to  start  his 
first  fire,  and  Davy  "toting"  the  old  ax. 

"But  that  wind  is  something  fierce  when  it  comes 
with  a  rush  and  a  roar,"  Smithy  was  saying,  as  he 
watched  some  of  the  trees  swaying  under  the  blast; 
"I  hope  now  this  isn't  going  to  be  a  case  of  dodg- 
ing one  peril  to  hit  another.  You  know  there  used 
to  be  a  rock  and  a  whirlpool  that  the  old  Grecian 
mariners  dreaded,  for  if  they  missed  being  piled 
up  on  Scylla,  they  had  to  run  the  risk  of  being 
sucked  into  Charybdis.  We  call  it  'jumping  out  of 
the  frying  pan  into  the  fire.' ' 

"Now,  whatever  are  you  thinking  about, 
Smithy?"  demanded  Bumpus,  who  had  been  feeling 
so  well  satisfied  lately  that  he  disliked  to  hear  any 
dark  hints  about  new  perils  hovering  over  their 
heads. 

"We'll  keep  close  by,  Smithy,  and  be  ready  to 
grab  you  if  the  wind  tries  to  carry  you  away  any 
old  time,"  Giraffe  assured  the  other  scout. 

"Oh !  it  isn't  that,  Giraffe ;  I  was  only  wondering 
if  one  of  those  tall  trees  took  a  notion  to  topple 
over  while  we  were  walking  underneath  it,  why, 
with  all  these  bundles  on  our  backs,  we  couldn't 
very  well  get  out  of  the  way  in  time." 

"Wheel  that's  so!"  Bumpus  admitted,  as  he  be- 
gan to  turn  his  head  from  one  side  to  the  other  in 
the  endeavor  to  cover  the  ground,  without  thinking 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA          135 

that  the  peril  could  only  come  from  windward,  if 
it  existed  at  all. 

Now,  while  Thad  hardly  believed  they  had  any- 
thing to  fear  from  this  source,  he  did  not  think  it 
wise  to  take  unnecessary  chances;  and  even  before 
Smithy  voiced  his  sentiments  the  patrol  leader  was 
so  shaping  his  course  as  to  avoid  every  tree  that 
had  a  suspicious  look. 

"The  one  thing  that  keeps  bothering  me,  outside 
of  our  limited  stock  of  provisions,  which  is  always 
a  serious  matter,"  Giraffe  broke  in  at  that  moment, 
"is  the  fact  that  all  our  fine  tracking  work  counts 
for  nothing." 

"I  reckon,  suh,  you  mean  that  we're  bound  to 
lose  the  object  of  our  chase'"'  remarked  Bob  White. 

"Why,  yes,  the  hobo  with  the  old  blue  army  coat 
is  going  to  get  such  a  start  on  us,  before  we  escape 
from  this  river  trap,  that  we  never  will  be  able  to 
run  him  down.  I'm  sorry  as  anything,  too,  be- 
cause I  was  hoping  another  big  scoop  was  headed 
our  way.  Now,  we'll  have  to  go  home  like  so  many 
dogs,  with  their  tails  between  their  legs." 

"Speak  for  yourself,  Giraffe,"  declared  Allan, 
"because  none  of  the  rest  of  us  feel  a  bit  that  way. 
We've  done  the  best  we  could,  and  no  one  is  re- 
sponsible when  they  run  counter  to  a  storm  like 
the  one  we've  struck." 

"Besides,"  added  Thad,  who  did  not  like  the  way 
the  tall  scout  talked,  "nobody  but  the  judge  really 
knows  a  thing  about  our  chase  of  that  hobo  who  got 
the  old  army  coat  from  Mrs.  Whittaker;  and  if  we 
fail  to  recover  the  same  he  isn't  the  one  to  give  it 
away.  So  we  can  say  we  had  a  great  hike,  got 


136  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

caught  in  a  flood,  and  let  it  go  at  that.  But  all  the 
same  I  don't  give  up  hopes  of  finding  this  Wan- 
dering George  yet." 

"Which  I'm  glad  to  hear  you  say,  suh,"  Bob 
White  admitted.  "There's  nothing  like  a  sticker 
in  my  estimation;  and  I  can  well  remember  plenty 
of  times  when  holding  out  to  the  bitter  end  brought 
victory  along." 

"Oh!  we've  all  got  a  touch  of  that  in  our  make- 
up, Bob,"  Giraffe  told  him;  "even  Bumpus  here  can 
be  as  obstinate  as  a  mule  when  he  chooses.  Just 
yesterday  I  was  trying  to  coax  him  to  give  me  that 
fine  new  waterproof  match  safe  he  carries,  and  d'ye 
know  he  actually  refused  me  three  separate  times." 

"Oh!  yes,"  commented  Bumpus,  hearing  this, 
"you  make  me  think  of  the  Irishman  on  the  jury 
who,  when  they  were  discharged  for  failing  to 
agree,  upon  being  asked  how  it  happened,  said  there 
were  eleven  of  the  most  pig-headed  obstinate  men 
on  that  jury  he  ever  saw,  and  that  try  as  hard  as  he 
could  they  refused  to  come  around  to  his  way  of 
thinking.  If  the  shoe  fits,  Giraffe,  put  it  on." 

Giraffe  laughed  just  as  loud  as  any  of  them,  for 
he  could  at  least  enjoy  a  joke  that  was  aimed  at 
himself,  which  was  one  of  his  best  qualities. 

The  ground  did  seem  to  rise  more  or  less  the 
further  they  got  away  from  the  northern  end  of  the 
island,  just  as  Thad  had  told  Bumpus  when  the  lat- 
ter member  of  the  marooned  patrol  was  expressing 
his  fears  of  being  overwhelmed  in  the  advancing 
flood. 

Now  and  then  they  had  glimpses  of  the  river,  and 
somehow  they  felt  an  irresistible  temptation  to  gaze 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA          137 

out  over  the  wind-swept  water  whenever  the  oppor- 
tunity arose. 

"Just  look  at  that  squall  coming  across,  would 
you?"  ejaculated  Bumpus;  "why,  it  is  scooping  the 
water  up,  and  throwing  it  around  like  mist.  Ain't 
I  glad  we're  on  solid  ground  right  now  ?  And  wait 
till  it  strikes  the  shore.  Let  me  tell  you  it's  a  good 
thing  this  island's  firmly  anchored,  or  it'd  be  blown 
away.  Hold  tight  to  your  hats,  fellows,  I  warn 
you!" 

There  was  a  sudden  swoop,  and  a  mighty  roar, 
as  the  squall  broke  among  the  trees  around  them. 
When  there  came  a  startling  crash  the  scouts  hud- 
dled together  and  stared  in  the  direction  of  the 
sound,  being  just  in  time  to  see  one  of  the  tallest 
trees  come  toppling  over,  with  a  roar  that  seemed 
to  shake  the  ground  beneath  their  very  feet. 


138  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 


CHAPTER    XV. 

THE   RETURN   OF  GIRAFFE. 

STANDING  there,  gripping  their  hats  as  the  fierce 
wind  continued  to  sweep  past,  the  scouts  exchanged 
serious  looks.  The  fall  of  that  tree  had  given  them 
a  feeling  of  thankfulness  that  they  were  not  under 
it  at  the  time. 

"Oh!  how  that  would  have  squashed  us!"  ex- 
claimed Bumpus,  when  he  could  catch  his  breath. 

"Do  you  know,"  ventured  Smithy,  "I  had  my  eye 
on  that  big  chap,  and  was  wondering  whether  he'd 
hold  up  against  the  next  squall.  So  you  see  I  wasn't 
so  silly,  after  all,  when  I  mentioned  such  a  thing." 

"Nobody  said  you  were,  Smithy,"  admitted  Gi- 
raffe; "but,  Thad,  how'd  it  do  to  stop  near  where 
that  tree  crashed  down?" 

"Why  do  you  pick  out  that  place  in  particular?" 
queried  Step  Hen. 

"Oh!  first  of  all  they  say  lightning  never  strikes 
twice  in  the  same  place,  and  so  there'd  be  no  danger 
of  another  tree  dropping  on  us.  Then,  again,  don't 
you  understand  what  a  lot  of  chopping  it'll  save  us, 
having  all  that  good  wood  ready." 

"Guess  you're  right  about  that,  Giraffe,"  returned 
Step  Hen;  "for  it  made  an  awful  crash  when  it  hit 
the  ground,  and  must  have  busted  in  many  parts. 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         139 

It  certainly  takes  you  to  think  up  all  kinds  of  kinks 
connected  with  fires  and  fuel  supplies." 

"Well,  somebody's  got  to  do  the  thinking  for  the 
crowd,  you  know,"  returned  the  other,  assuming  an 
air  of  importance;  "and  when  others  shirk  their 
duty  it  comes  harder  for  us  faithful  members." 

The  patrol  leader  thought  so  much  of  Giraffe's 
sensible  suggestion  that  he  gave  the  word  for  a 
halt;  and  so  they  selected  a  place  that  looked  as 
though  it  would  make  a  pretty  decent  camp. 

Here  their  burdens  were  only  too  willingly 
dropped. 

"We  get  a  fair  amount  of  shelter  from  the  wind, 
you  see,"  remarked  Thad,  as  he  looked  around  him. 

"But,  Thad,  it  took  that  tree  over  like  a  shot," 
remonstrated  Bumpus. 

"Yes,  because  it  had  a  clear  sweep  at  its  top," 
he  was  told,  "for  these  other  trees  are  not  nearly 
so  tall  as  the  one  that  went  down.  Then  if  you 
examine  the  stump  you  can  see  that  it  was  rotten 
at  the  heart,  though  it  didn't  show  outside  to  any 
extent.  That's  the  way  with  lots  of  men  who,  as 
they  say,  can  smile  and  smile  again,  and  yet  be 
villains." 

"When  we  go  to  write  up  this  trip  for  our  log 
book,"  Davy  observed  at  this  juncture,  "I  think  it 
ought  to  go  down  as  a  sort  of  Robinson  Crusoe 
story.  Because  right  now  we're  wrecked  on  a 
desert  island,  with  a  limited  amount  of  stuff  along, 
and  may  be  compelled  to  resort  to  all  sorts  of  things 
for  a  living." 

"I  wonder  if  there's  any  game  over  here  to  help 
out,  if  we  have  to  stay  a  long  time?"  ventured  O'- 


140  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

raffe,  the  hunter  instinct  strong  within  him. 
"Course  we  couldn't  expect  to  find  wild  goats,  like 
Robinson  did,  but  then  there  might  be  rabbits,  and 
even  squirrels  and  raccoons." 

"Ugh!  I'd  just  like  to  see  myself  eating  a  part  of 
a  raccoon!"  exclaimed  the  particular  scout,  lifting 
both  hands  to  further  indicate  his  disgust. 

"Well,  you  may  have  that  pleasure,  if  we  stay 
here  long  enough,  Smithy,"  he  was  assured  by  Gi- 
raffe; "now,  as  for  me,  I'd  as  soon  partake  of  a 
'coon  as  I  would  a  young  pig.  'Possum  I  know  is 
fine,  and  I  reckon  the  other  would  go  all  right." 

"And  I  happen  to  have  several  fishhooks  in  my 
haversack  that  I  forgot  to  remove  after  our  last 
trip,  when  we  went  South  with  Thad;  so  you  see 
we  might  pull  in  some  fish  if  we  got  real  hard 
pressed,"  and  Bumpus  smiled  contentedly  as  he 
made  this  statement,  for  which  he  was  applauded 
by  Giraffe  and  Davy. 

"Speaking  about  Robinson  Crusoe,"  said  Thad, 
"our  case  runs  along  a  good  deal  like  his  for  other 
reasons  than  that  we're  stranded  on  an  island.  You 
know  he  hewed  out  a  boat  so  big  that  he  couldn't 
get  it  down  to  the  water;  and  we've  got  one  on  our 
hands  so  heavy  that  all  of  us  couldn't  budge  her 
an  inch  when  we  tried  to  drag  the  same  further  up 
on  the  shore." 

"Wonder  if  the  case  is  going  to  keep  on  in  paral- 
lel lines,"  mused  Bumpus;  "for  you  know  how  old 
Robinson  found  the  footprints  of  savages  on 
the  sand  one  morning.  What  if  we  do  here  on  our 
island?" 

"Oh!  shucks!  what  would  we  care,  so  long  as 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         141 

•we're  heavily  armed,  and  eight  of  us  all  told,  when 
poor  old  Crusoe  was  alone?  I'd  give  something 
just  to  run  across  a  footprint  that  wasn't  made  by 
one  of  us,  and  that's  straight,  fellows." 

No  one  doubted  but  what  Giraffe  meant  every 
word,  for  his  boldness  had  never  been  reckoned 
a  questionable  article.  Indeed,  on  some  occasions 
he  had  even  shown  bravery  bordering  on  reckless- 
ness, so  that  the  scout  leader  found  it  necessary  to 
take  him  to  task. 

Giraffe  soon  amused  himself  in  taking  stock  of 
their  available  supply  of  food,  and  listing  the  same 
in  his  methodical  way.  He  would  soon  know  just 
how  many  meals  they  could  count  on  before  being 
Compelled  to  hustle  for  further  supplies. 

"Now,  since  we've  never  struck  this  island  be- 
fore, and  ain't  supposed  to  know  a  single  thing 
about  what  sort  of  animals  inhabit  it,  if  any,  I'm 
expecting  to  hang  the  eatables  out  of  harm's  way. 
That's  why  I  fetched  this  leavings  of  the  old  cable 
along  with  me.  I'll  take  time  to  unravel  the  kinks, 
and  untwist  the  windings,  so  in  the  end  I'll  have 
quite  a  fine  stout  cord  that's  going  to  be  mighty 
useful  in  a  whole  lot  of  ways." 

Giraffe  was  happy  only  when  busily  employed. 
At  other  times  he  was  apt  to  seem  restless,  and 
much  like  a  tiger  pacing  up  and  down  in  its  cage. 

They  were  making  themselves  as  comfortable  as 
possible  under  the  strange  conditions  that  prevailed. 
All  scouts  are  drilled  in  the  art  of  observation,  and 
constantly  keeping  their  eyes  on  the  alert  in  order 
to  better  their  situation.  So  it  was  first  one  fel- 
low who  would  decide  to  do  a  thing  this  way;  and 


142  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

then  another  would  go  him  one  better,  always  with 
a  spirit  of  healthy  rivalry  that  was  productive  of 
results. 

"There's  the  sun!"  announced  Smithy  suddenly, 
for  he  had  seen  it  glint  on  the  agitated  water  far  out 
on  the  eastern  side,  where  there  was  an  opening  in 
the  brush  through  which  it  was  possible  to  glimpse 
the  river. 

"Welcome,  stranger!"  called  out  Giraffe,  dra- 
matically saluting;  "we  hope  your  stay  with  us  may 
be  long  and  happy." 

"It  feels  real  good,  too,  after  so  much  gloomy 
weather,  and  all  that  downpour,"  Bumpus  declared, 
as  he  opened  his  coat  to  let  the  warm  rays  strike 
him  more  fully. 

Giraffe  of  course  had  his  fire  going;  life  would 
be  shorn  of  much  of  its  bright  features  if  he  were 
prevented  from  pursuing  his  favorite  hobby.  The 
old  ax  served  to  supply  them  with  heavier  fuel, 
which  seemed  to  burn  splendidly  after  being  in 
part  dried  out. 

Seeing  Thad  beckoning,  the  tall  scout  stepped 
over  beside  him. 

"Do  you  want  to  do  an  errand  for  me,  Giraffe?" 
asked  the  patrol  leader. 

"Every  time,  if  only  you  don't  ask  me  to  walk  on 
the  water  to  the  shore,  which  is  a  little  more  than  I 
can  manage,"  replied  the  other  promptly. 

"I'll  tell  you  about  an  idea  that  struck  me  all  of  a 
sudden,  as  I  was  sitting  on  this  log  here,"  an- 
nounced Thad.  "I  hardly  know  what  put  it  in  my 
mind  to  think  of  that  shanty  boat  again.  Perhaps 
it  was  our  joshing  about  what  Robinson  Crusoe 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         143 

would  be  likely  to  do,  if  he  found  himself  located 
like  we  are.  But  no  matter,  I  suddenly  remembered 
I  had  meant  to  examine  that  boat  better,  and  then  it 
happened  that  something  put  it  out  of  my  mind." 

"Examine  the  shanty  boat  better,  do  you  mean, 
Thad?" 

"Yes.  I  remembered  noticing  what  looked  like  a 
square  consisting  of  plain  cracks,  on  the  floor  of  the 
cabin.  The  more  I  get  to  thinking  of  it,  Giraffe, 
the  stronger  it  strikes  me  that  there  may  be  some 
sort  of  trap  door  there.  The  boat  must  be  hollow, 
that  stands  to  reason,  and  if  the  water  could  be 
kept  from  getting  in,  such  a  place  would  be  a  good 
hiding-place. 

"Gee  whiz !  do  you  mean  for  extra  grub  supplies, 
or  something  else,  Thad?" 

"I  was  thinking  of  something  else,"  came  the  re- 
ply. "You  remember  how  we  found  supper  cook- 
ing on  the  stove  when  we  broke  into  that  boat  cabin, 
yet  never  a  solitary  soul  around?  Well,  supposing 
the  man  who  was  doing  the  cooking  heard  us  when 
we  let  out  those  wild  yells,  and  seeing  soldiers  com- 
ing down  on  him  like  wild  cats,  he  just  dodged  be- 
low, and  stayed  there?" 

"You  mean  all  night  long,  Thad  ?" 

"Yes,  right  up  to  the  time  we  left  the  boat  this 
morning,"  the  patrol  leader  went  on  to  say  solemnly. 

"But  could  he  stand  it  all  that  time?"  asked  Gi- 
raffe dubiously. 

"It  may  not  have  been  the  most  comfortable 
thing  going,"  admitted  Thad;  "but  a  fellow  can 
stand  for  a  whole  lot  when  he  just  has  to." 

"You  mean  he'd  do  it,  rather  than  risk  coming 


144  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

out,  and  being  gobbled  up  by  the  militia,  is  that  it, 
Thad?" 

"You've  caught  my  idea,  Giraffe." 

"But,  Thad,  just  think  how  he  must  have  suf- 
fered all  the  while  we  rocked  in  the  cradle  of  the 
deep  like  we  did?"  ventured  the  other,  shaking  his 
head  as  though  he  could  hardly  bring  himself  to  be- 
lieve it  possible. 

"It  would  take  a  good  deal  of  grit  to  hold  out, 
for  a  fact,  but  then  he  might  be  so  much  afraid  of 
arrest  that  of  two  evils  he  chose  the  lesser,"  Thad 
continued. 

"And  what  do  you  want  me  to  do?"  queried  the 
tall  scout. 

"Just  go  to  where  we  left  the  boat,  and  see  if 
those  cracks  mean  some  sort  of  trap  leading  to  the 
hold  of  the  float.  Be  careful  how  you  open  it,  be- 
cause if  the  owner  is  hiding  in  there  he  may  try  to 
do  something  desperate.  Perhaps  you'd  better  take 
Step  Hen  along  with  you." 

"Guess  not,  unless  you  insist,  Thad.  I'll  carry 
a  gun,  and  with  that  I'll  be  equal  to  any  refugee  that 
ever  walked  on  two  legs." 

Giraffe  liked  nothing  better  than  to  be  dispatched 
on  a  mission  of  this  kind.  He  said  nothing  to  any 
of  the  others,  only  picked  up  his  gun,  sang  out  to 
Bumpus  not  to  let  the  fire  die  down  for  lack  of 
fresh  wood,  and  then  walked  away. 

Some  of  the  rest  looked  after  him  curiously,  and 
wondered  what  he  was  up  to ;  but  as  Step  Hen  had 
seen  him  in  consultation  with  Thad  he  told  them 
it  was  none  of  their  business,  but  that  the  tall  scout 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         145 

had  undoubtedly  been  sent  off  on  an  'errand  by  the 
commander. 

Bumpus,  feeling  a  certain  sense  of  responsibility 
on  account  of  having  been  especially  designated  as 
the  guardian  of  the  fire,  took  it  upon  himself  to 
make  certain  that  there  was  a  plentiful  supply  of 
wood  handy.  It  was  a  comical  sight  to  see  him 
swing  the  old  ax,  and  hear  him  give  a  loud  grunt 
every  time  he  sent  it  home.  But  nevertheless  he 
managed  to  keep  things  going,  for  he  was  very  per- 
sistent, and  hated  to  let  any  object  escape  him,  once 
he  had  set  his  mind  on  accomplishing  the  same. 

It  was  perhaps  fifteen  minutes  later  that  they 
heard  a  shout,  and  looking  up  discovered  some  one 
running  toward  them,  waving  his  arms  wildly. 

"There  comes  Giraffe,  like  hot  cakes,"  announced 
Bumpus. 

"And  he  looks  wild  in  the  bargain,"  added  Step 
Hen.  "I  wonder  now  has  he  run  on  any  savages 
getting  ready  for  a  feast  like  the  ones  Robinson 
saw." 

"Oh!  you're  only  fooling,  I  know,  because  sav- 
ages couldn't  be  here  along  the  Susquehanna !"  ex- 
claimed Bumpus ;  but  nevertheless  he  began  to  show 
signs  of  fresh  anxiety;  and  waited  for  the  runner 
to  come  up,  with  a  thousand  questions  in  his  man- 
ner. 

So  Giraffe  came  along,  slackening  his  pace  as  he 
drew  near,  for  he  was  breathing  hard,  and  casting 
occasional  glances  back  of  him,  which  latter  action 
in  itself  was  sufficient  cause  for  Bumpus  to  believe 
he  must  have  been  chased  by  some  one. 


146  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

"What  is  it,  Giraffe?"  he  called  out,  even  before 
the  other  had  arrived. 

"Yes,  tell  us  what  ails  you,  and  why  you've  been 
running  so  fast?"  Step  Hen  went  on  to  say,  as  they 
all  crowded  around  the  panting  runner. 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         147 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

WHAT  DAVY  HEARD. 

"You  guessed  right,  Thad!"  said  Giraffe,  look- 
ing toward  the  patrol  leader. 

"About  what?"  demanded  Step  Hen. 

"Why,  that  it'd  be  dangerous  for  us  to  try  and 
stick  to  the  old  bug  of  a  shanty  boat,  with  all  that 
wind  blowing,"  came  the  reply. 

"Has  she  gone,  Giraffe?"  demanded  Thad 
quickly,  and  the  other  nodded  eagerly. 

"Cleaned  out,  as  sure  as  anything,  and  not  a  sign 
of  her  around,  as  far  as  I  could  see,"  he  went  on  to 
explain. 

"Then  it  must  have  been  the  great  big  blast  that 
set  her  adrift,"  Davy  added,  doing  his  best  to  ex- 
plain the  mystery.  "It  was  enough  to  whip  her 
off  the  shore,  with  the  water  rising  all  the  while. 
Well,  that  settles  it  for  us.;' 

"How  does  it,  Davy?"  pleaded  Bumpus. 

"I  mean  we're  Crusoes  at  last,  and  the  last  link 
binding  us  to  our  beloved  home  is  swept  away," 
the  other  continued,  for  the  especial  benefit  of  Bum- 
pus,  who  was  apt  to  take  things  too  literally. 

"Enough  of  that,  Davy,"  Thad  broke  in  with; 
"you  know  we  didn't  take  so  much  stock  in  that 
clumsy  boat,  after  all.  It's  true  we  did  talk  about 


148  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

cutting  some  long  setting-poles,  and  trying  to  make 
the  shore  when  the  water  went  down,  but  there  will 
be  other  ways  to  reach  the  mainland  when  we're 
ready,  never  you  fear.  Tell  us  about  it,  Giraffe." 

"Why,  I  took  my  time  about  getting  there,  you 
see,  because  I  knew  there  wasn't  any  need  of  hurry- 
ing, as  we  couldn't  do  a  thing  to-day.  Besides, 
Thad,  I  wanted  to  look  around  a  little  on  the  way, 
and  find  out  if  there  was  any  sort  of  game  on  our 
little  island.  Well,  there  is,  and  I  reckon,  what  with 
our  guns  and  snares,  we  could  keep  ourselves  from 
starving  to  death  for  a  long  while." 

"Good!"  muttered  Bumpus,  as  though  that  im- 
portant statement  removed  a  certain  dreadful  fear 
that  may  have  been  haunting  him  for  quite  some 
time. 

"Yes,"  continued  the  other  scout  glibly,  "I  saw 
two  rabbits  at  different  times,  and  a  number  of 
nut-crackers  of  the  gray  order,  fine  big  chaps  too, 
that  would  make  a  fine  squirrel  stew,  let  me  tell 
you.  They  must  have  come  out  here  at  some  time 
in  the  summer,  when  the  water  was  awful  low, 
and  this  island  connected  with  the  main  shore  on 
one  side  by  an  isthmus." 

"That's  the  explanation,  I  expect,"  assented  Al- 
lan, who  was  always  very  much  interested  in  all 
things  concerning  wild  animal  migration. 

"But  about  the  boat,  Giraffe?"  reminded  Thad. 

"Oh!  yes,  that's  so.  I  started  in  to  tell  you  how 
I  found  out  she  was  gone  from  that  point  where 
we  left  her  a  while  back,  didn't  I?  Well,  after 
I  got  to  the  place  where  you  come  right  out  of 
the  woods  and  sight  the  point  I  began  to  rub  my 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA 

eyes,  because  I  couldn't  believe  I  was  seeing  straight, 
for  there  wasn't  any  boat  on  that  shore  at  all,  not 
the  first  sign  of  one.  Of  course  I  knew  right  away 
what  had  happened,  and  that  it  must  have  been 
the  extra  big  squall  coming  out  of  the  northwest 
that  had  driven  her  off." 

"Then  you  hurried  back  to  bring  us  the  news, 
didn't  you?"  continued  Thad. 

"Say,  I  just  Hew,  because  I  thought  the  sooner 
you  knew  about  it  the  better.  And  so  we're  prison- 
ers on  the  island  now,  without  any  kind  of  a  boat 
to  take  us  off.  We  may  have  to  wade  or  swim  after 
the  tide  goes  down  again." 

"I  don't  suppose  you  stopped  to  take  a  look,  and 
see  if  there  were  any  tracks  around?"  the  patrol 
leader  continued. 

"Tracks — what  of,  the  keel  of  the  shanty  boat?" 
asked  Giraffe.  "Oh!  the  splash  of  the  water  would 
have  washed  all  those  out  easy,  so  what  was  the 
use?  We  know  she's  gone,  and  that  covers  the 
whole  bill.  By  now,  what  with  that  wind  and  cur- 
rent, if  she  hasn't  been  stove  in  on  some  rock, 
the  shanty  boat  must  be  five  or  ten  miles  down  the 
river,  and  booming  along,  all  the  while  spinning 
around  like  a  top.  Wheel  I'm  tickled  to  death  to- 
know  I'm  not  aboard  her  right  now." 

"So  say  we  all  of  us!"  roared  several  of  the 
scouts  in  unison,  showing  how  they  felt  about  the 
matter. 

"How  about  making  a  shelter?"  asked  Giraffe, 
his  woodsman  spirit  aroused ;  which  remark  proved 
that  he  must  have  been  pondering  over  these  things 


150  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

while  on  the  way  to  the  upper  end  of  the  island 
and  back. 

"We  were  talking  that  over  while  you  were  gone," 
said  Thad,  "and  came  to  the  conclusion  that  while 
we  might  try  and  put  up  some  little  cover  good 
enough  for  one  night,  which  would  keep  the  dew 
off,  even  without  the  use  of  our  ponchos,  it  would 
hardly  pay  us  to  go  to  any  great  trouble." 

"But  what  if  we  have  to  stay  out  here  a  long 
time  ?"  continued  Giraffe,  whose  whole  manner  told 
that  he  would  not  object  in  the  least,  as  long  as 
the  eating  was  fairly  good;  and  that  the  Easter 
vacation  could  be  indefinitely  prolonged  so  far  as 
he  was  concerned. 

"Well,  we  don't  intend  to,  and  that's  all  there  is 
to  it,"  Sten  Hen  assured  him.  "Of  course  we  have 
to  put  in  one  night;  but  that  ought  to  be  all.  The 
river  will  fall  nearly  as  fast  as  it  rose ;  and  already 
Thad's  thinking  up  some  scheme  that's  going  to 
take  us  ashore." 

"Any  wings  to  it,  Thad?"  asked  Giraffe  laugh- 
ingly; "or  shall  we  make  a  balloon,  and  go  flying 
over  Cranford,  to  make  the  folks'  eyes  stick  out 
of  their  heads  with  wondering  what  those  frisky 
Silver  Fox  scouts  will  be  doing  next,  to  get  them- 
selves in  the  spotlight?" 

"Oh!  I  haven't  had  time  enough  yet  to  get  to 
that,"  Thad  told  him;  "just  give  me  a  chance  to 
sleep  over  it  first.  But  Step  Hen  is  perfectly  right 
when  he  says  we  haven't  the  least  intention  of  being 
cooped  up  here  many  days.  Besides,  unless  we  do 
get  a  move  on  us  pretty  soon,  we'll  have  to  turn 
back  home  and  get  ready  to  go  to  school,  instead 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA          151 

of  recovering  the  judge's  treasured  army  coat  for 
him." 

"School!"  repeated  Bumpus;  "my  goodness!  is 
there  really  such  a  place?  Why,  seems  to  me  it's 
been  an  age  since  I  recited  a  lesson.  Just  the 
thought  of  it  makes  me  feel  sad.  But  if  we  did 
have  to  camp  out  here  for  a  couple  of  weeks  we'd 
miss  some  hunky-dory  good  times  in  Cranford.  The 
barn  dance  comes  off  next  week,  you  know.  And 
every  one  of  us,  I  reckon,  has  promised  to  take 
somebody.  Oh!  we've  just  got  to  be  home  before 
then,  Thad.  Think  what  Sadie  Bradley'd  do  if  you 
gave  her  the  mitten;  and  then  how  about  Giraffe's 
roly-poly  sister,  Polly,  Allan;  are  you  ready  to 
forsake  her?  Perish  the  thought;  the  boys  of  the 
Silver  Fox  Patrol  never  were  quitters,  were  they?" 

Giraffe,  whatever  he  may  have  thought  about 
staying  on  the  island  as  long  as  they  could  stand 
it,  seeing  that  popular  sentiment  was  against  him, 
showed  enough  wisdom  to  quiet  down.  Possibly 
he  may  not  have  been  one-half  as  bent  on  such  a 
course  himself  as  he  made  out;  for  Giraffe  was 
notoriously  shrewd,  and  fond  of  playing  all  man- 
ner of  jokes. 

They  lounged  around,  some  of  them  engaged  in 
accomplishing  certain  things,  but  in  the  main  con- 
tent to  lie  on  their  blankets,  with  a  poncho  under- 
neath to  keep  the  dampness  off.  This  was  on 
account  of  the  fact  that  they  had  been  cheated  out 
of  considerable  sleep  lately,  and  felt  the  need  of  it. 

Later  on  Thad  commenced  to  make  a  bough  shel- 
ter, with  the  assistance  of  several  of  the  others. 
In  summer  time  this  is  readily  done,  but  when  the 


152  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

leaves  are  off  most  of  the  trees  it  is  not  so  eas> 
a  task. 

By  selecting  hemlock  and  other  trees  that  would 
afford  a  dense  covering  they  managed  by  degrees 
to  build  up  quite  a  shelter,  under  which  they  might 
lie  without  running  much  risk  of  being  wet  by 
the  dews.  And  after  the  recent  heavy  storm  all 
of  the  weather  prophets  seemed  fully  agreed  that 
the  air  had  surely  been  cleared,  so  that  another  rain 
was  not  apt  to  come  along  for  some  time  at  least. 

Noon  came  and  went. 

They  cooked  a  warm  meal,  thus  reducing  the 
amount  of  provisions  on  hand;  but  the  result  was 
worth  all  the  sacrifice,  Giraffe  and  Bumpus  de- 
clared, as  they  lay  on  the  ground  afterward,  hardly 
able  to  move  on  account  of  the  full  dinner  of  which 
they  had  partaken. 

"Three  more  meals  like  that,  and  then  the 
deluge!"  said  Giraffe;  "but  who  cares  for  expenses? 
Gimme  two  cents'  worth  of  gingersnaps,  as  the  coun- 
try boy  said  when  he  wanted  the  girls  in  the  store 
to  see  what  a  high  roller  he  could  be.  If  our  plans 
turn  out  O.  K.  we  hope  to  be  where  we  can  buy 
a  dinner  for  hard  cash  by  that  time.  No  need  of 
worrying  any;  keep  a  doin'  the  smile-that-won't- 
come-off  business.  We  belong  to  the  Little  Sun- 
shine Club,  don't  we,  boys?" 

Most  of  them  were  there  in  the  bunch,  and  as 
usual  all  trying  to  talk  at  once.  Davy  alone  sat  off 
to  one  side,  and  seemed  to  be  trying  to  shut  out 
the  chatter,  while  he  wrote  in  his  private  log  book 
an  account  of  their  recent  adventures. 

"How  did  the  grits  go,  Bob?"  asked  Bumpus, 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         153 

who,  in  order  to  please  the  Southern  boy,  had  pre- 
pared a  kettle  of  fine  hominy,  to  which  the  other 
had  certainly  done  full  justice,  if  his  three  help- 
ings counted  for  anything. 

"Simply  immense,  suh,  and  no  mistake  about  it," 
came  the  hearty  reply;  "some  of  you  wonder  how 
it  is  every  Southerner  loves  that  good  old  dish, 
and  I  confess  that  I'm  unable  to  supply  the  ex- 
planation. I  only  know  it  fo'  a  fact;  and  that 
somehow  they  all  say  it  seems  to  bring  befo'  their 
minds'  eye  a  picture  of  hanging  moss,  orange  trees, 
cotton  in  the  field,  magnolias  in  bloom  on  the  green 
trees,  and  all  sorts  of  other  things  connected  with 
the  South  they  love." 

"I  don't  think  there's  a  part  of  this  Union  one- 
half  so  fond  of  their  section  of  the  country  as  you 
Southerners  are,  Bob,"  Allan  asserted. 

"I  reckon  you're  about  right,  suh,  when  you 
say  that.  It's  always  been  that  way  with  us  befo' 
the  war  and  since.  But  Davy's  beckoning  to  you, 
Thad." 

"Well,  I  declare,  what  do  you  think  of  that  for 
pure  nerve?"  muttered  Giraffe,  as  he  saw  the 
scout  in  question  crooking  his  finger,  and  nodding 
to  the  patrol  leader,  as  though  asking  him  to  come 
over;  "if  the  mountain  won't  come  to  Mahomet, 
he  has  to  go  to  the  mountain.  But  whatever  d'ye 
imagine  ails  Davy  now?  He  don't  look  sick,  and 
in  need  of  medicine,  because  he  ate  nearly  as  big 
a  dinner  as — well,  as  Bumpus  here  did." 

"Speak  for  yourself,  John  Alden,"  retorted  the 
stout  boy  scornfully. 

Thad  understood  that  Davy  wished  to  say  some- 


154  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

thing  privately,  and  on  this  account  he  did  not  hesi- 
tate to  get  up  and  move  over  to  where  the  other 
was  sitting  with  his  log  book  in  his  hand. 

He  saw  that  Davy  had  a  puzzled  expression  on 
his  face,  and  from  this  judged  he  had  run  across 
some  sort  of  enigma  which  he  wanted  the  patrol 
leader  to  help  him  solve.  As  Thad  was  accustomed 
to  this  sort  of  thing,  he  did  not  think  it  strange, 
though  naturally  feeling  some  curiosity  concerning 
the  matter. 

"Want  to  see  me,  Davy?"  he  asked,  as  he  care- 
lessly dropped  alongside  the  other. 

"Why,  we're  all  here,  ain't  we,  Thad,  the  whole 
patrol  I  mean?"  Davy  began. 

"Count  noses,  and  you'll  find  there  are  just  eight 
of  us,  which  covers  the  bill,"  Thad  told  him. 

"Wfiile  you-all  were  talking  there  did  you  hear 
anything  queer?"  continued  Davy. 

"Not  that  could  be  noticed,"  Thad  told  him. 
"There  were  times  when  the  boys  made  so  much 
noise  that  it  was  hard  for  me  to  hear  anything 
besides.  Did  you  catch  any  suspicious  sound, 
Davy?" 

The  other  immediately  nodded,  and  went  on  to 
say,  at  the  same  time  casting  a  quick  look  all  around 
him: 

"Thad,  I  sure  did.  I  was  sitting  here  writing, 
and  paying  no  attention  to  what  the  fellows  were 
squabbling  about,  when  all  at  once  it  came,  as 
plain  as  anything,  and  right  from  over  yonder," 
with  which  he  pointed  across  the  island. 

"Was  it  the  bark  of  a  dog,  the  mewing  of  a  cat, 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         155 

the  bray  of  a  donkey,  or  the  neighing  of  a  horse, 
Davy?"  asked  Thad,  smiling. 

"Nixey,  not  any  of  those,  Thad,"  replied  the 
other  solemnly;  "but  as  sure  as  I'm  sitting  here  it 
sounded  like  a  shout  in  a  human  voice!" 


156  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

CHAPTER    XVII. 

LOOKING    FOR    SIGNS. 

"You  mean  you  think  you  heard  some  one  shout- 
ing, do  you?"  asked  Thad,  apparently  unmoved, 
though  truth  to  tell  he  considered  this  new  infor- 
mation of  considerable  importance. 

"That's  what  I  want  you  to  understand,  Thad." 

"Could  you  make  out  what  was  said?"  continued 
the  patrol  leader,  anxious  to  get  at  the  kernel  of 
the  matter  as  soon  as  possible. 

"Well,  no,  I  don't  believe  I  did ;  but  it  just  struck 
me  it  was  a  yell,  like  anybody  would  let  out  if 
something  happened  to  give  him  a  shock.  I  reckon 
that's  what  I'd  be  apt  to  do  if  a  rattlesnake  jumped 
at  me,  and  I  dodged  back." 

"Well,"  continued  Thad  confidently,  "there 
couldn't  be  any  rattlesnake  here  on  this  island,  I 
should  think,  and  even  if  that  was  so,  snakes  never 
come  out  so  early  in  the  season.  But  Davy,  do  you 
think  you  could  tell  which  direction  the  shout 
seemed  to  come  from?" 

"Just  where  I  pointed,  over  there  to  the  east, 
which  is  the  side  of  the  island.  Now,  if  there's 
somebody  out  here  besides  us,  who  could  it  be?" 
and  Davy  asked  this  question  with  the  confidence 
the  scouts  had  come  to  put  in  their  leader,  whom 
they  apparently  expected  to  know  everything. 

"Oh!  it  might  be  some  fisherman  who  had  a  hut 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         157 

here;  or  even  a  fugitive  from  justice,  hiding  from 
the  officers.  You  know  we've  run  across  things 
like  that.  Once  we  even  met  up  with  a  crazy  man 
who  had  broken  out  of  an  asylum,  and  was  living 
like  a  hermit  in  the  woods.  All  that  will  come  later 
on,  when  we  find  the  proof  that  you  haven't  made 
a  mistake." 

"But,  Thad,  I  ought  to  know  a  shout  given  by  hu- 
man lungs,  hadn't  I?"  pursued  the  puzzled  Davy. 

"We  all  think  that,  Davy,  but  you  know  for 
yourself  that  a  loon  for  instance  can  laugh  so  much 
like  a  man  that  you'd  be  ready  to  take  your  af- 
fidavit there  was  a  fellow  out  on  the  lake  trying  to 
make  you  mad.  You  think  you  heard  a  shout; 
but  it  may  have  been  one  of  a  lot  of  things." 

"Of  course  anybody  could  be  mistaken,  Thad," 
the  other  went  on  to  say;  and  it  is  an  accepted 
fact  that  when  your  enemy  begins  to  look  over  his 
shoulder  he  is  getting  ready  to  retreat. 

"You  may  have  heard  what  you  think,  Davy; 
perhaps  a  boat  was  being  swept  past  the  island,  and 
someone  in  it,  seeing  the  smoke  of  our  fire,  called 
out  for  help;  though  I  should  think  if  that  was 
tha  case  he'd  keep  the  ball  rolling.  Come,  let's  take 
a  turn  across  to  the  shore,  and  see  if  anything  is 
in  sight  down-river  way." 

"All  right,  Thad ;  count  on  me  to  go  along.  No 
need  of  saying  anything  to  the  rest,  is  there  ?"  Davy 
remarked,  with  eagerness  stamped  upon  his  face. 

"Not  a  bit,"  replied  the  other. 

When  the  others  saw  them  moving  off,  very  nat- 
urally they  felt  more  or  less  curiosity  to  know  what 
was  in  the  wind. 


158  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

"Hello!  there,  what's  up?"  called  out  Giraffe. 

"Oh !  we're  just  going  over  to  take  a  look  around, 
boys,"  replied  Thad. 

"Don't  get  lost,  and  give  us  the  bother  of  hunt- 
ing you  up,  whatever  you  do,"  they  heard  Bumpus 
say;  and  the  audacity  of  the  thing  struck  Thad  as 
so  comical  that  he  could  be  heard  chuckling  as  he 
went  on. 

As  there  had  been  no  invitation  on  the  part  of 
the  patrol  leader  to  the  others  to  come  along,  they 
realized  that  they  were  not  wanted. 

"A  case  of  two's  company,  three  a  crowd,  I 
reckon,  suh!"  remarked  Bob  White,  as  he  tossed  a 
little  more  wood  on  the  fire,  which  felt  pretty  cheer- 
ful, since  the  air  was  still  cool  after  the  storm. 

"Who  cares?"  said  Bumpus,  stretching  himself 
out  again  at  full  length  on  his  comfortable  blanket. 

Meanwhile  Thad  and  Davy  were  engaged  in 
making  their  way  through  the  brush,  and  heading 
for  the  shore  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  island  that 
stood  in  the  middle  of  the  flooded  Susquehanna. 

They  found  it  more  difficult  work  than  they  had 
expected.  The  island  could  not  have  been  used 
for  any  purpose,  since  under  the  trees  it  was  a 
perfect  snarl  of  bushes  and  creeping  vines,  some 
of  the  latter  as  thick  as  one's  ankle.  Unless  the 
person  who  was  pushing  his  way  through  this  wil- 
derness of  growth  kept  constantly  on  the  alert  he 
was  very  apt  to  catch  his  foot  in  a  snake-like  vine, 
and  measure  his  full  length  on  the  ground. 

Davy,  indeed,  uttered  several  little  ejaculations 
when  his  hands  came  in  contact  with  thorns  grow- 
ing on  some  of  the  bushes. 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         159 

"This  isn't  what  it  seemed  cracked  up  to  be,  eh, 
Thad?"  he  muttered.  "I  guess  there's  a  sample 
of  everything  that  grows  around  this  region  right 
here  on  this  island,  and  then  some.  And  seems 
like  I'm  rinding  the  same  out  one  after  the  other. 
There,  that  stub  of  a  branch  tried  to  poke  my 
left  eye  out,  and  did  bring  blood  on  my  cheek.  I 
don't  see  how  you  manage  to  get  along  without 
any  accidents." 

"You're  not  as  experienced  as  I  am  in  passing 
through  places  like  this,  that's  all,  Davy.  You 
move  too  quick,  and  don't  use  your  eyes  enough. 
If  you  think  I  can  take  the  cake  at  it  you  ought 
to  see  an  Indian  work,  and  after  that  you'd  say 
I  wasn't  in  the  same  class.  He'd  like  as  not  glide 
along  like  a  snake;  and  try  as  hard  as  you  pleased, 
you  wouldn't  hear  so  much  as  a  twig  break  under 
his  feet." 

"Then  I'm  pretty  sure  I'll  never  make  a  first- 
class  scout,"  commented  Davy,  "for  I  seem  to  be  too 
clumsy.  There,  I  thought  that  stick  would  bear 
rny  weight;  but  it  broke  under  me  with  a  sharp 
snap  that  would  have  told  the  enemy  somebody  was 
trying  to  sneak  up  on  the  camp.  I  guess  it  must 
run  in  the  blood,  Thad,  and  I  haven't  got  any  of  it 
in  me.  Yet  I  had  an  uncle  who  was  said  to  be  one 
of  the  greatest  big  game  hunters  that  ever  went 
out  to  South  Africa  after  elephants  and  lions  and 
all  such  things.  They  skipped  me  when  it  came  to 
inheriting  the  instincts  of  a  still-hunter." 

By  degrees  they  forced  their  way  through  all 
these  obstacles,  and  Davy  seemed  to  improve  as  he 
went  along,  as  Thad  took  occasion  to  tell  him. 


160  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

"Anyhow,  it'll  be  easy  enough  going  back  again  !M 
Davy  declared,  "because  we've  left  a  fair  trail  be- 
hind us.  I  wouldn't  be  surprised  now  if  some  of 
the  other  fellows  take  advantage  of  that  to  cross 
over  here,  so's  to  get  a  squint  of  the  river." 

"Well,  here  we  are,  and  it  looks  as  if  we  might 
get  a  fairly  decent  look  down  stream,  Davy." 

"Yes,  there's  a  little  point  sticking  out  here, 
thank  goodness.  Look  at  all  the  water  going  past,' 
would  you,  Thad?  This  is  a  great  flood,  all  right; 
and  I  hope  it  goes  down  a  lot  before  we  try  to 
cross  over  to  the  mainland,  to-morrow,  or  the  day 
after.  Do  you  think  it's  come  to  a  stand  yet?" 

"I  guess  you'll  find  it  that  way,"  returned  the 
other;  "and  while  we're  here  I  mean  to  make  a 
mark,  so  as  to  tell  just  before  dark  what's  hap- 
pening. But  Davy,  can  you  see  anything  like  a 
boat  down  below?" 

Davy  shook  his  head,  for  he  had  been  earnestly 
gazing  in  that  direction. 

"Not  a  single  sign,  Thad!"  he  declared,  in  a  dis- 
appointed tone.  "And  as  a  boat  couldn't  have  passed 
from  sight  in  this  short  time,  why,  that  proves 
there  wasn't  such  a  thing  at  all." 

"Looks  that  way,"  assented  the  patrol  leader  con- 
fidently. 

"And,"  continued  Davy,  "that  if  I  did  really  hear 
a  shout,  which  of  course  hasn't  yet  been  proved  for 
certain,  then  there's  somebody  on  this  island  be- 
sides our  crowd!" 

"We'll  have  to  let  it  go  at  that,"  Thad  told  him. 

They  looked  about  for  a  short  time,  and  Thad 
arranged  a  stick  at  the  edge  of  the  river,  that  stood 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         161 

where  the  current  would  not  displace  it.  By  means 
of  this  he  could  tell  whether  the  water  rose  or  fell, 
since  he  had  cut  a  groove  in  it  to  mark  the  present 
height  of  the  flood. 

"There,  that  ought  to  do  the  business  for  us," 
Thad  remarked,  after  he  had  finished  his  little 
job. 

"Do  we  go  back  to  the  camp  now?"  Davy  wanted 
to  know,  as  though  a  little  fearful  that  the  other 
might  propose  a  trip  around  the  island,  which,  on 
account  of  the  dense  thickets  of  brush,  he  would 
not  altogether  fancy,  though  not  the  kind  of  a 
scout  to  easily  back  down. 

"I  reckon  we  might  as  well,"  the  patrol  leader 
told  him ;  and  with  this  encouragement  Davy  imme- 
diately started  off. 

Thad  used  his  eyes  as  he  went,  but  could  not 
say  that  he  had  managed  to  make  any  discovery 
that  would  throw  the  least  light  on  the  mystery  of 
that  strange  noise  his  companion  claimed  to  have 
heard. 

Of  course,  when  they  joined  the  others,  every- 
body was  curious  to  know  what  their  little  jaunt 
meant;  so  they  had  to  tell  all  about  it. 

"None  of  us  heard  a  single  thing,"  remarked 
Giraffe  sturdily,  as  though  that  fact  ought  to  settle 
it,  and  that  Davy  must  have  allowed  his  imagina- 
tion to  work  overtime. 

"I  should  think  you  couldn't,  what  with  all  the 
row  you  kept  up,"  Davy  answered  back  sturdily. 
"All  I  want  to  say  is  this,  that  I  heard  something- 
like  a  shout;  and  I'll  keep  on  saying  that  forever* 
no  matter  how  you  laugh,  and  make  fun." 


162  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

Of  course  they  talked  it  over,  and  viewed  the 
happening  from  all  sides.  Every  fellow  had  some 
sort  of  explanation  to  make  to  cover  the  ground. 
A  few  of  these  followed  the  same  track  Thad  had 
hewn  when  stating  his  ideas  to  Davy;  and  yet 
after  exhausting  the  subject  the  boys  were  no 
nearer  a  solution  of  the  mystery  than  when  they 
started. 

Later  on,  just  as  Davy  had  suggested  might  be 
the  case,  several  of  them  made  up  their  minds 
they  would  like  to  take  a  look  at  the  river,  for  Bum- 
pus  and  Smithy  started  forth. 

"Just  follow  our  trail!"  sang  out  Davy  after  the 
pair,  "and  you  won't  have  any  trouble.  But  keep 
your  eyes  peeled  every  minute  of  the  time  if  you 
don't  want  to  get  in  trouble." 

"What  from?"  demanded  Bumpus,  halting  in  his 
departure. 

"Oh !  all  sorts  of  snares,  in  the  shape  of  concealed 
vines  that  grab  you  by  the  ankles  and  throw  you 
down;  or  branches  that  smack  you  square  in  the 
face,  and  nearly  blind  you.  If  you  get  in  any  hole 
and  want  help,  just  sing  out,  fellows." 

"Thanks,  we  will!"  replied  Bumpus  scornfully, 
as  though  he  did  not  anticipate  such  a  thing  hap- 
pening; if  Davy  considered  that  he  and  Smithy 
were  still  greenhorns  and  must  be  treated  as  babes 
in  the  woods,  he  was  very  much  mistaken,  that 
was  all. 

As  Giraffe  liked  to  say,  "you  never  can  tell,"  and 
stranger  things  than  that  can  come  about  when 
boys  are  loose  in  the  wilderness. 

Those    left    by    the    fire    continued    to    sprawl 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         163 

around  in  favorite  attitudes,  and  take  their  ease. 
The  day  had  another  hour  or  so  left,  and  there 
was  Giraffe  overhauling  the  food  supply,  evidently 
making  out  the  menu  which  he  meant  to  serve  up 
for  the  evening  meal — trust  Giraffe  for  taking  care 
of  such  things. 

The  sun  was  shining  cheerily  now,  and  that  at 
least  was  some  comfort  to  these  castaway  scouts. 
They  expected  that  with  the  coming  of  another 
day  they  would  be  able  to  start  a  scheme  looking  to 
making  a  mov.e  to  get  away ;  and  that  thought  gave 
them  encouragement. 

It  was  at  this  moment  there  rang  out  a  sudden 
cry  that  caused  everyone  to  spring  up  and  look 
startled. 

"It  sounded  like  Smithy's  voice!"  exclaimed 
Thad,  as  he  gained  his  feet. 

"Yes,  that's  what  it  did !"  echoed  Giraffe ;  "some- 
thing must  have  happened  after  all !  Mebbe  they've 
gone  and  met  up  with  trouble!  Mebbe  there  are 
oome  people  on  this  island  that  don't  like  us  being 
here!  Thad,  what  shall  we  do?" 

Quick  and  energetic  came  the  patrol  leader's 
order. 

"Step  Hen,  stay  here  to  guard  the  camp ;  the  rest 
of  you  follow  me !" 

Without  wasting  another  second  the  five  boys 
rushed  away  toward  the  spot  where  again  and 
again  they  could  hear  Smithy's  shrill  voice  calling 
for  help! 


164  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

MORE    SERIOUS    NEWS. 

"HELP!  hurry  up!" 

That  was  what  Smithy  was  calling,  in  agonized 
tones  that  thrilled  everyone  of  the  other  scouts. 
They  were  rushing  pell-mell  along  the  trail  which 
Davy  and  Thad  had  made  in  going  to  and  coming 
from  the  river,  and  which  the  other  pair  had  also 
followed  when  they  went  to  take  an  observation. 
Now  and  then  one  of  them  would  find  a  root  or  a 
vine,  and  take  a  header,  but  only  to  scramble  erect 
.again,  and  resume  the  furious  forward  rush. 

The  river  was  close  by,  and  at  least  Smithy  had 
not  lost  his  voice,  for  he  still  kept  up  his  cries; 
though  getting  hoarse  through  the  excitement,  and 
the  constant  strain  on  his  voice. 

Then  those  in  the  lead  discovered  their  chum.  He 
seemed  to  be  lying  flat  on  his  chest  at  the  very 
brink  of  the  swift  flowing  river;  and  while  one 
hand  gripped  an  exposed  root  belonging  to  a  tree, 
the  other  was  stretched  over  the  edge  of  the  bank. 

"It's  Bumpus!"  gasped  Giraffe;  "and  he's  fallen 
in!" 

No  one  took  the  trouble  to  offer  any  objection 
to  this  explanation.  Indeed,  from  their  previous 
experience  with  Bumpus  it  seemed  the  most  natural 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA          165 

thing  in  the  world  to  expect  the  clumsy  scout  to 
tumble  overboard  every  chance  he  got.  They  could 
in  fact  look  back  to  any  number  of  similar  ac- 
cidents during  the  time  the  patrol  had  been  tak- 
ing these  outings  in  the  woods  and  on  the  waters. 

"Hold  him  tight,  Smithy!"  snapped  Thad,  try- 
ing to  increase  his  pace,  which  was  rendered  a 
difficult  thing  to  do  because  of  the  many  obstacles 
that  must  be  encountered  and  overcome. 

"Good  boy,  Smithy,  keep  a-going!"  cried  Davy, 
greatly  excited. 

No  doubt  these  cheery  symptoms  of  coming  help 
did  much  to  encourage  Smithy  to  maintain  his 
frenzied  clutch  upon  the  one  who  was  in  the  water ; 
for  he  was  still  holding  on  when  Thad  arrived  on 
the  spot,  accompanied  by  Giraffe,  the  best  runner 
of  them  all. 

Down  alongside  Smithy  they  both  dropped.  Yes, 
there  was  poor  old  Bumpus  in  the  flood,  swimming 
with  hands  and  legs,  and  spurting  great  volumes 
of  the  muddy  water  out  of  his  mouth  with  each 
splurge.  It  chanced  that  it  was  quite  deep  there, 
and  the  river  ran  like  a  mill  race;  so  that  if  Smithy 
had  released  his  grip  for  a  single  instant  the  un- 
lucky Bumpus  must  have  been  swept  down-stream 
like  a  log,  in  spite  of  his  strenuous  efforts. 

When  his  clothes  were  soaked  through,  the  stout 
member  of  the  patrol  was  apt  to  weigh  several  hun- 
dred pounds ;  so  it  was  small  wonder  that,  unaided, 
Smithy  could  do  next  to  nothing  looking  to  his  res- 
cue— just  hold  on  desperately,  and  shout  for  help. 

But  when  Thad  and  Giraffe  took  a  grip  it  was- 
a  different  matter.  Altogether  they  started  to  drag: 


166  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

the  imperiled  scout  up  out  of  his  impromptu  bath. 

"Yo-heave-o!  Up  you  come,  my  boy!  One 
more  pull,  Thad,  and  we've  got  him.  Wow!  what 
an  elephant  he  is!" 

So  saying,  Giraffe  bent  again  to  the  task,  with 
the  result  that  Bumpus  was  soon  hauled  over  the 
edge  of  the  crumbling  bank,  and  dragged  to  a  place 
of  security.  There  he  lay,  sprawled  out,  gasping 
for  breath,  and  shedding  gallons  of  water  from  his 
soaked  khaki  suit. 

The  boys  gathered  around,  staring  at  him.  Al- 
though they  often  poked  considerable  fun  at  Bum- 
pus,  it  was  of  an  innocent  sort,  for  they  were  ex- 
ceedingly fond  of  him. 

"Well,  you  sure  look  like  a  great  big  grampus 
hauled  up  on  the  beach!"  remarked  Giraffe,  with 
pretended  scorn,  though  to  tell  the  truth  in  all  prob- 
ability he  did  not  really  know  what  a  grampus  was, 
only  that  it  lived  in  the  sea,  and  stood  for  some- 
thing clumsy  and  large. 

"Next  time  you  feel  like  taking  a  bath,  Bum- 
pus,  don't  be  so  greedy.  You're  some  size,  but  the 
river's  on  a  flood  now,  and  too  big  for  you!"  said 
Davy ;  and  turning  to  Thad  he  continued :  "Like 
as  not  your  stick  will  show  that  she  jumped  up  a 
foot  or  more  when  Bumpus  dropped  in." 

"It's  a  bad  time  to  get  your  feet  crossed,  suh, 
when  you-all  happen  to  be  on  a  river  bank!"  Bob 
White  hinted. 

"You're  all  away  off ;  I  didn't  stumble,  this  time, 
anyhow,  and  I  wasn't  trying  to  take  a  bath  either," 
spluttered  the  soaking  Bumpus,  as  he  sat  up  and 
started  wiping  his  face  with  a  very  wet  sleeve. 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         167 

"How  about  that,  Smithy;  what  happened  to 
him?"  asked  Thad. 

"The  bank  caved  in  under  him,  that's  the  truth," 
replied  the  other  scout.  "He  was  wanting  to  see 
just  a  little  further  down  the  river,  when  all  at 
once  he  went  in.  I  really  couldn't  tell  you  just 
how  I  happened  to  catch  hold  of  him  by  the  back 
of  his  coat,  because  I  don't  know  myself;  but  I 
thought  it  my  duty  to  call  out,  and  try  to  get  some 
help.  You  see,  he  was  too  heavy  for  me  to  lift. 
I  almost  broke  my  back  trying,  as  it  was." 

"I  should  think  you  would!"  declared  Giraffe; 
"and  it's  a  lucky  thing  we  heard  you  calling.  Only 
for  that  what  would  you  have  done,  Smithy?" 

"I  was  trying  to  think  all  the  while,"  replied  the 
other.  "You  see,  I  didn't  dare  let  go  my  hold, 
for  the  current  is  terribly  swift  here.  I  had  half 
an  idea  that  if  only  I  could  work  along  the  bank 
a  little,  it  might  shoal  some,  and  then  Bumpus  would 
be  able  to  get  a  footing.  But  I'm  glad  you  came 
when  you  did,  for  I  was  rapidly  becoming  ex- 
hausted." 

Smithy  generally  spoke  with  great  exactness,  and 
used  words  that  few  of  his  comrades  ever  bothered 
with  in  their  conversation ;  that  was  one  thing  con- 
nected  with  his  previous  condition  that  persisted  in 
clinging  to  the  former  dandy  of  the  patrol. 

"You  did  the  right  thing,  and  that's  a  fact!" 
commented  Allan;  "I  don't  believe  there's  a  single 
fellow  who  could  have  raised  Bumpus.  But,  Thad, 
he's  beginning  to  shiver  in  this  air ;  don't  you  think 
we  ought  to  get  him  over  to  the  fire?" 

"Sounds  good  t-to  me ;  fire's  what  I  w-want,  and 


168  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

1-lots  of  it  too!"  stammered  the  stout  scout,  trying 
to  get  to  his  feet,  in  which  effort  he  was  ably  as- 
sisted by  willing  hands.  "As  t-to  that  bank,  how'd 
I  k-k-know  it  was  goin'  to  c-c-cave  in  on  me,  t-t- 
tell  me  that,  will  y-y-you?" 

They  hurried  him  along  as  fast  as  he  could  be 
urged,  and  all  the  while  he  kept  shedding  little 
streams  of  water,  as  though  he  carried  an  almost 
inexhaustible  supply.  When  finally  the  camp  was 
reached,  with  the  wondering  Step  Hen  giggling 
over  the  comical  sight  Bumpus  presented,  they 
made  the  late  swimmer  disrobe,  and  hung  his  clothes 
around  so  that  they  would  dry  in  the  heat  of  the 
fire. 

Bumpus  himself  was  wrapped  in  blankets  until 
he  looked  like  a  swathed  mummy,  and  told  to  just 
lie  there.  Under  all  this  manipulation  of  course 
his  chilled  blood  regained  its  normal  temperature, 
and  he  declared  he  felt  as  snug  as  a  "bug  in  a  rug!" 

Even  this  excitement  did  not  cause  Giraffe  to  for- 
get that  he  had  business  on  his  hands,  and  supper 
was  taken  in  charge  with  the  customary  results; 
for  they  presently  found  themselves  sitting  down  to 
a.  "bountiful  repast,"  Davy  called  it,  to  the  evident 
complete  satisfaction  of  the  eminent  cook. 

By  the  time  they  were  ready  to  roll  up  in  their 
blankets  and  try  to  get  some  sleep,  the  clothes  hang- 
ing from  various  bushes  were  thoroughly  dry;  so 
that  Bumpus  could  don  the  same.  This  released 
all  the  extra  blankets  with  which  he  had  been 
swathed,  which  was  a  matter  of  vital  importance 
to  their  various  owners. 

The  fire  they  expected  to  keep  going  more  or 


all  through  the  night.  Besides  the  comfort  that 
it  brought  through  the  necessary  heat,  its  bright 
glow  did  much  to  dissipate  the  gloom  around  them, 
and  render  their  situation  less  cheerless. 

Giraffe  insisted  on  keeping  his  gun  close  at  his 
side,  for  he  said  there  could  be  no  telling  whether 
they  were  safe  there  or  not.  If  the  island  did 
happen  to  be  the  hiding-place  of  some  desperate 
criminal,  who  might  think  to  steal  a  march  on 
them  as  they  slept,  he  wanted  to  be  ready  to  repel 
boarders. 

He  even  had  Thad  promise  to  give  a  certain  sig- 
nal should  anything  out  of  the  way  happen  while 
they  slept;  just  as  though  Thad  would  be  awake  all 
through  the  night,  and  know  about  the  same. 

But  the  long  hours  of  darkness  dragged  on,  and 
there  was  no  alarm.  Some  of  the  boys  slept  through 
the  entire  night  without  arousing  once;. but  there 
were  others  who  felt  more  of  the  weight  of  re- 
sponsibility resting  upon  them,  and  who  frequently 
sat  up  to  look  around,  or  else  got  upon  their  feet, 
in  order  to  put  more  wood  on  the  camp  fire. 

Morning  broke  and  found  them  apparently  in 
just  the  same  condition  as  when  they  had  wrapped 
their  blankets  around  them,  and  lay  down  with 
their  feet  toward  the  fire,  hunter-fashion. 

Thad  was  the  first  up,  and  when  Allan  awoke 
it  was  to  see  the  patrol  leader  returning  over  the 
trail  that  led  to  the  river  bank. 

It  was  easy  to  decide  that  the  other  must  have 
been  over  to  learn  what  his  tally-stick  had  to  tell 
about  the  condition  of  the  flood. 

"How  about  it,  Thad;  falling,  I  hope?"  Allan 


170  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

asked,  as  he  stretched  himself,  after  getting  on  his 
feet. 

"Yes,  and  rapidly  into  the  bargain,  just  as  we 
expected  would  be  the  case,"  came  the  reply.  "That 
rain  could  not  have  extended  all  the  way  up  to 
the  sources  of  the  river,  you  see;  and  it  will  run 
out  in  a  big.  hurry." 

"Then  we  may  be  able  to  get  across  to  the  main- 
land before  a  great  while?"  queried  Allan. 

"We'll  talk  about  that  while  we're  eating  break- 
fast," Thad  told  him;  "and  as  the  sun  is  coming 
up  I  reckon  we'd  better  waken  the  rest  of  the 
crowd.  They've  had  a  grand  good  sleep,  I  take 
it.  Give  Giraffe  a  push,  Allan,  will  you,  and  roll 
Bumpus  over  a  few  times  till  he  says  he's  awake; 
that's  the  regular  program  with  him,  you  know." 

One  by  one  the  scouts  sat  up,  and  yawned,  and 
stretched,  as  sleepy  boys  are  apt  to  do  when  they 
have  not  been  allowed  to  have  their  last  nap  out. 
Of  course  Davy  did  not  forget  how  Thad  had 
made  a  flood-tally  over  at  the  river,  which  for- 
tunately Bumpus  had  not  kicked  away  when  he 
took  his  unexpected  plunge  with  a  portion  of  the 
crumbly  bank. 

"I  reckon,  now,  Thad,  you've  been  over  to  see 
what's  doing,"  he  remarked,  while  Giraffe  fixed  his 
cooking  fire,  and  set  about  beginning  operations 
looking  to  having  breakfast  under  way.  "And  if 
that's  so  tell  us  how  she  stands.  Did  it  drop  half 
a  foot  or  more  during  the  time  we  snoozed?" 

"More  like  three  feet/'  replied  the  other;  "and 
if  Bumpus  fell  over  in  the  same  place  again  he'd 
find  the  water  hardly  up  to  his  waist,  with  little 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         171 

current  in  place  of  that  mill  race  of  yesterday.  Yes, 
things  begin  to  look  encouraging  all  around,  boys  P' 

"Like  fun  they  do!"  bawled  out  Giraffe  just 
then,  as  he  stood  up,  and  turned  a  very  red  and 
angry  face  toward  the  rest  of  the  scouts. 

"Why,  what  ails  you  now,  Giraffe?"  asked 
Smithy,  who,  generally  calm  and  cold  as  an  ice- 
berg himself,  frequently  took  the  others  to  task 
when  they  showed  signs  of  great  excitement. 

"I'm  as  mad  as  a  wet  hen,  I  tell  you,  and  I  wish 
somebody'd  kick  me  for  not  doing  what  I  first  meant 
to  last  night,  ask  Thad  to  set  a  watch!"  exploded 
the  tall  scout,  stamping  on  the  ground,  and  grind- 
ing his  teeth. 

Thad  smelled  a  rat  immediately. 

"Anything  been  taken,  Giraffe?"  he  asked  has- 
tily. 

"Anything?"  roared  the  other;  "why,  there  isn't 
half  enough  left  to  give  us  a  decent  meal.  I  reckon 
I  might  be  satisfied,  but  where  the  rest  of  you  are 
going  to  come  in  beats  me.  Yes,  this  island  is  in- 
habited, all  right,  and  they're  a  set  of  low-down 
thieves  at  that.  You  heir  me  talking,  fellows !" 


172  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

THE  TRAIL  OF  THE  MARAUDER. 

WHEN  they  heard  the  dreadful  news  the  rest  of 
the  scouts  looked  almost  frightened.  It  was  bad 
enough  to  know  that  some  evil  intentioned  man  was 
on  the  island  with  them;  but  that  he  should  have 
actually  crept  into  their  camp  while  they  slept, 
and  very  nearly  made  a  clean  sweep  of  their  al- 
ready limited  stock  of  provisions,  seemed  close  to 
a  tragedy.  When  you  threaten  to  cut  off  their 
food  supply  it  is  hitting  boys  in  their  weakest  place. 

There  was  an  immediate  start  for  the  spot  where 
they  had  placed  their  haversacks  and  the  food  on 
the  preceding  night.  Thad,  however,  held  them 
back. 

"Don't  all  rush  so,"  he  told  them.  "We  want 
to  look  around,  and  see  if  we  can  find  out  any- 
thing. If  everybody  tramples  the  ground  it'll  be 
little  use  trying.  Let  Allan  and  Giraffe  help  me 
look  first.  We'll  report  anything  we  find." 

The  advice  sounded  reasonable  to  the  rest;  so 
despite  their  eagerness  to  take  a  hand  in  the  game 
they  held  back  while  the  three  scouts  proceeded  to 
examine  the  ground. 

It  was  not  long  before  Allan  made  a  discovery. 

"I  think  here's  where  he  crawled  along,"  he  told 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA          173 

Thad,  who  was  close  by;  "you  can  see  that  some- 
thing's dragged  here,  which  must  have  been  his 
knees.  Yes,  and  there's  where  the  toe  of  his  shoe 
made  a  dent  in  the  soil,  with  another  and  still  an- 
other further  on.  And  now  he  lay  flat  on  his 
stomach.  Perhaps  one  of  us  happened  to  move 
just  then,  and  he  was  afraid  of  being  seen." 

"You're  right,  Allan,"  remarked  Thad,  after  tak- 
ing a  good  look;  "and  to  think  it  possible  he  was 
crouching  here  in  the  shadows  when  I  got  up  and 
threw  some  wood  on  the  fire.  If  I  knew  that  I'd 
feel  pretty  sore." 

"Well,  he  went  on  again  pretty  soon,  didn't  he?" 
observed  Giraffe,  who  was  hovering  close  by,  and 
keeping  close  watch  on  everything  that  was  done. 

"Yes,  that's  what  he  did,"  resumed  Allan,  also 
starting  on  once  more,  following  the  tracks  that 
looked  so  strange  they  would  have  sorely  puzzled 
members  of  the  patrol  like  Smithy  and  Bumpus, 
who  were  not  noted  as  trackers;  "and  headed  di- 
rect for  the  place  where  we  stacked  our  things  up." 

"It  was  a  lucky  thing  none  of  us  happened  to 
leave  our  guns  here  with  all  the  rest  of  the  duffel," 
observed  Giraffe  exultantly,  as  though  it  gave  him 
considerable  satisfaction  to  find  that  he  had  not  been 
quite  as  foolish  as  might  have  happened. 

"He  finally  got  to  our  stuff,"  Allan  went  on, 
"and  rising  to  his  knees  started  to  pick  out  what 
he  wanted.  I  guess  he  must  have  been  pretty  hun- 
gry, because  grub  was  what  he  seemed  to  be  after. 
Not  one  of  our  haversacks  is  gone,  you  can  see. 
He  took  that  piece  of  bacon  we  fetched  from  the 
boat,  the  packages  of  crackers,  and — yes,  the  cheese 


174  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

is  lost  in  addition,  also  a  can  of  corn  and  the  cof- 
fee. Fact  is,  it  looks  as  if  we  didn't  have  much 
left,  outside  this  package  of  hominy,  and  the  little 
tin  box  of  tea  you  fetched  along,  Thad!" 

Giraffe  gave  vent  to  a  hollow  groan. 

"It's  just  dreadful,  that's  what!"  he  said,  with  a 
gulp,  as  though  receiving  the  sad  news  that  he  had 
lost  his  best  friend ;  "just  think  of  grits  and  tea  for 
our  breakfast,  and  not  another  thing!  The  worst 
is  yet  to  come,  though,  for  we  won't  get  anything 
for  dinner,  you  know!  Why,  I'll  be  all  skin  and 
bone  if  things  keep  on  going  from  bad  to  worse 
like  that." 

"Bob  White  won't  think  it's  so  tough,  if  he  can 
have  his  grits,"  remarked  Allan;  "but  breakfast  to 
a  New  England  boy  stands  for  ham  and  eggs,  flap- 
jacks with  maple  syrup,  and  always  coffee  and  cold 
pie." 

"Stop  stretching  out  the  agony,  can't  you?"  said 
Giraffe,  holding  both  hands  to  his  ears  as  though 
trying  to  shut  out  the  mention  of  such  delightful 
dishes;  "it's  cruelty  to  animals  to  talk  that  way, 
Allan.  But,  Thad,  what  are  we  going  to  do  about 
this  same  thing?  Can't  we  take  up  the  trail,  and 
try  to  get  our  stuff  back  ?  After  all,  this  old  island 
is  only  of  a  certain  size,  and  with  eight  of  us  in 
line  we  ought  to  comb  it  from  top  to  bottom.  I 
feel  like  Sheridan  did  when  he  met  the  Union 
troops  running  away  in  a  panic  from  Cedar  Creek, 
and  yelled  out:  'Turn  the  other  way,  boys,  turn 
the  other  way!  We'll  lick  'em  out  of  their  boots 
yet!  We've  just  got  to  get  those  camps  back!' 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         175 

You  see  he  was  thinking  of  all  the  good  stuff  they'd 
lost  with  the  camps.  So  are  we." 

"Allan,  suppose  we  look  to  see  which  way  he 
went  off,  because  it  couldn't  have  been  along  the 
same  line  as  his  advance?"  suggested  the  scout  mas- 
ter. 

He  knew  considerable  about  these  things  himself, 
but  trusted  to  Allan  to  learn  facts  that  might  even 
have  eluded  his  observation.  Allan  had  been  in 
Maine  and  the  Adirondacks  a  portion  of  his  life, 
and  picked  up  many  clever  ways  from  association 
with  the  guides  that  made  him  inavaluable  when 
it  came  to  a  question  of  woodcraft. 

"That's  a  good  idea,  Thad,"  was  what  the  other 
said  in  reply ;  and  already  his  sharp  eyes  had  begun 
to  look  for  signs. 

These  were  easily  found,  for  the  unseen  thief 
had  crawled  away  in  the  same  fashion  as  he  made 
his  advance,  though  a  bit  more  clumsily,  which  was 
doubtless  owing  to  the  fact  of  his  being  more  heav- 
ily laden  at  the  time. 

Step  Hen,  Bob  White  and  the  other  three  were 
of  course  watching  the  every  movement  of  the  ex- 
perienced trackers  with  great  interest.  They  took 
some  little  satisfaction  in  trying  to  guess  just 
what  each  movement  signified.  Bumpus  and 
Smithy  of  course  would  never  have  been  able  to 
figure  these  things  out,  but  the  other  three  had 
more  practical  knowledge  and  could  hit  closer  to 
the  mark. 

"There,"  Step  Hen  was  saying  eagerly;  "they're 
taking  stock  of  what's  been  hooked,  and  my  stars! 
iust  look  at  the  way  Giraffe  throws  hi«  hands  up, 


176  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

will  you?  If  that  doesn't  tell  the  story,  then  I'm 
away  off  in  my  guess.  I  just  wager  we've  been 
cleaned  out  for  keeps,  and  our  little  tummies  will 
call  in  vain  for  their  accustomed  rations.  I  won- 
der how  it  feels  to  starve  to  death!" 

"Oh!  quit  talking  that  way,  Step  Hen,"  wailed 
Bumpus ;  "we  ain't  going  to  waste  away  like  all  that. 
Give  Thad  a  chance  to  think  up  how  to  win  out. 
Besides,  didn't  you  hear  Giraffe  say  there  was 
lots  of  fat  game  on  this  island;  yes,  and  fish  in 
the  river  to  boot.  I'm  not  going  to  give  up  so  easy ; 
there's  always  something  to  fall  back  on,  if  it  gets 
to  the  worst." 

"Yes,"  added  Step  Hen  maliciously,  "that's  what 
shipwrecked  sailors  have  to  do  when  they  cast 
lots;  and  I'm  glad  now  I  wasn't  built  like  a  roly- 
poly  pudding.  It's  too  tempting  when  hard  times 
come  along." 

Bumpus,  of  course,  understood  that  his  chum  was 
only  joking,  but  nevertheless  he  drew  a  long  breath, 
and  remained  very  quiet  for  quite  some  time  after 
that,  as  though  busied  with  uneasy  thoughts. 

"Now  they're  starting  off  again,"  remarked 
Davy,  "and  I  guess  it's  to  follow  the  trail  of  the 
thief  away.  I  wonder  if  we  could  track  him  to 
where  he  hangs  out,  so  as  to  make  him  hand  over 
our  property." 

"I  allow,  suh,"  Bob  White  broke  in  with,  "that 
by  the  time  we  did  that  same  there  would  be  mighty 
little  of  our  food  left.  He  must  have  been  pretty 
hungry  to  take  the  chances  he  did  when  he  crawled 
into  our  camp,  and  with  all  these  guns  around  in 
plain  sight." 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         177 

"Let's  keep  along  after  the  boys,"  suggested  Step 
Hen,  "and  see  what  they  run  up  against." 

The  idea  appealed  to  his  companions,  for  they 
all  started  off,  though  maintaining  the  same  rela- 
tive distance  from  Thad  and  his  backers,  so  as  not 
to  interfere  with  the  work.  Step  Hen  took  occasion 
to  bend  down  when  he  came  upon  a  spot  where 
the  imprint  of  the  unknown  man's  knee  could  be 
seen,  and  looked  at  it  intently,  though  finally  giving 
it  up  as  a  task  beyond  his  ability. 

"Knees  all  make  the  same  kind  of  dragging  mark 
to  me,"  he  told  the  others,  who  had  waited  to  hear 
his  report,  "and  I  can't  tell  one  from  another.  If 
it  was  Bumpus  here,  now,  who  had  done  this  trick 
in  his  sleep,  I  wouldn't  be  able  to  say  for  sure, 
though  like  as  not  he'd  bear  deeper'n  this  mark 
shows." 

"Well,  since  Bumpus  wasn't  outside  of  his  blan- 
ket once  all  night  long,  you  can't  saddle  this  job 
on  his  poor  shoulders.  He's  got  enough  to  carry 
as  it  is,  see?"  and  the  stout  boy  put  all  the  em- 
phasis possible  on  that  last  word,  as  though  he 
meant  to  make  it  decisive. 

"They  seem  to  be  getting  close  to  the  bushes 
now,"  Bob  White  observed. 

"And  once  he  got  in  there  mebbe  the  thief  would 
rise  to  his  feet  to  walk  away,"  added  Step  Hen. 
"If  Thad  beckons  you'll  know  he's  settled  it  in  his 
mind  to  follow  the  trail,  and  wants  all  of  us  who 
own  guns  to  rally  around  him." 

"How  about  the  rest;  what  will  they  be  doing?" 
asked  Smithy. 

"Tending  camp,  of  course,"   replied  the  other. 


178  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

"Think  now  we  know  we've  got  a  thief  for  a  neigh- 
bor we  want  him  to  steal  our  blankets  next?  A 
nice  pickle  we'd  be  in  without  some  way  to  keep 
warm  nights.  Remember,  if  you  are  left  on  guard, 
to  defend  the  blankets  with  your  very  lives,  both  of 
you!" 

This  sort  of  lurid  talk  of  course  thrilled  Bum- 
pus  very  much,  for  he  had  a  habit  of  taking  what 
the  others  said  literally,  and  could  not  see  the 
vein  of  humor  apt  to  lie  back  of  bombastic  va- 
porings.  He  was  rubbing  his  fat  hands  one  over 
the  other  in  a  nervous  way,  and  alternately  watch- 
ing what  Step  Hen  did,  and  then  how  the  others 
were  coming  on. 

They  could  see  that  Thad  and  his  two  fellow 
scouts  were  just  back  of  the  first  fringe  of  bushes. 
They  had  possibly  made  some  sort  of  discovery, 
because  all  of  them  seemed  to  be  down  on  hands 
and  knees,  with  their  faces  close  to  the  earth,  and 
apparently  examining  certain  impressions. 

"I  wonder  what's  up  now?"  ventured  Davy. 

"They've  run  on  something  that's  staggered  the 
bunch,  you  can  see  easily  enough,"  Step  Hen  went 
on  to  say  excitedly;  "and  I'm  trying  to  make  up 
my  mind  whether  after  all  it  was  a  man  crawling 
along  that  made  those  queer  marks.  P'raps,  now, 
some  sort  of  big  wild  animal  might  have  done  it. 
We  haven't  seen  a  single  footprint,  you  remember, 
to  tell  the  story.  I  wish  I  knew  what  they've  run 
across.  Why  don't  they  call  us  over,  and  let  us 
in?  It  isn't  just  fair  to  keep  us  worrying  like  we 
are." 

Just  as  though  Thad  might  have  heard  this  com- 


plaint  on  the  part  of  Step  Hen,  he  turned  toward 
them,  and  raising  his  hand  beckoned. 

"There,  boys,  he  wants  us  to  come  over!"  ex- 
claimed Davy,  exultantly;  "I  thought  it'd  strike  us 
pretty  quick ;  Thad  isn't  the  kind  to  forget  his  mates. 
And  we'll  soon  be  put  wise  to  the  facts." 

They  hurried  to  join  the  other  three,  who  still 
stood  at  the  same  place,  ever  and  anon  looking  seri- 
ously down  at  the  ground,  as  though  hardly  able  to 
believe  the  evidence  of  their  eyes. 

When  Step  Hen  came  running  with  the  other 
four  tagging  at  his  heels,  Thad  held  up  his  hand. 

"Hold  on  right  there,  boys!"  he  remarked;  "we 
don't  want  you  to  cut  in  and  rub  it  all  away  before 
you've  had  a  chance  to  look  for  yourselves." 

Of  course  this  caused  them  to  turn  their  at- 
tention to  the  ground,  and  it  was  easy  to  see  that 
the  crawling  thief  had  here  risen  to  his  full  height, 
though  possibly  bending  over  more  or  less  as  he 
continued  his  retreat. 

"Then  it  was  a  man,  after  all!"  was  what  Bum- 
pus  said;  and  there  was  a  positive  air  of  relief 
about  his  voice,  as  though  he  had  taken  Step  Hen's 
hint  seriously,  and  even  fancied  a  terrible  wild 
beast  might  be  hovering  near  them. 

"Yes,  but  look  closer,  and  see  if  you  can  recog- 
nize anything  familiar  about  the  marks?"  advised 
Thad. 

Accordingly,  all  of  them  leaned  over  and  looked. 

It  was  Step  Hen  who  gave  the  first  startled 
cry. 

"Oh!  Thad,  what  does  this  mean?"  he  burst  out 
with;  "it's  the  same  broken  shoe,  bound  together 


180  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

with  an  old  rag,  that  we  saw  when  we  looked  for 
the  marks  of  Wandering  George,  in  the  mud  of 
the  road;  but  how  in  the  wide  world  could  he  get 
over  here?" 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         181 


CHAPTER   XX. 

SOLVING   A    MYSTERY. 

"WHAT'S  that  you  say?"  burst  out  Davy,  looking 
as  startled  as  though,  to  use  the  words  of  Giraffe, 
he  "had  seen  his  great  grandfather's  spook!" 

"Wandering  George!  Out  here  on  our  island, 
too!"  gasped  Bumpus,  just  as  though  they  had  a 
permanent  right  to  the  strip  of  land  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  river — "our"  island  he  called  it. 

Of  course  all  of  them  turned  toward  Thad,  as 
usual,  expecting  him  to  give  the  answer  to  the 
question  that  puzzled  them.  The  patrol  leader 
laughed  as  he  pointed  down  once  more  to  that  tell- 
tale track. 

"No  going  behind  the  returns,  is  there,  boys  ?"  he 
said.  "Every  one  of  you  knows  that  footprint  by 
heart,  because  we  took  the  pains  to  study  it.  And 
the  man  whose  old  battered  shoe  is  being  held  on 
with  a  rag  we  know  is  Wandering  George.  He  is 
responsible  for  taking  our  provisions.  Right  now 
you  can  imagine  how  much  he's  enjoying  that  cheese 
and  crackers  we  expected  to  last  us  out  to-day." 

Giraffe  groaned. 

"And  that  fine  strip  of  bacon  we  lifted  at  the 
time  we  left  the  shanty-boat!"  added  Step  Hen, 
with  a  dismal  look  toward  Bob  White,  who  raised 


182  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

his  eyes  as  if  in  horror  at  the  idea  of  such  desecra- 
tion. 

"It's  easy  to  understand  that  the  hobo's  on  the 
island,  but  how  in  the  wide  world  could  he  get  here 
without  wings?  That's  what  I  want  to  know,"  Al- 
lan observed ;  which  at  least  went  to  show  that  so  far 
no  one  had  been  able  to  figure  it  out,  for  if  anybody 
could,  surely  the  Maine  boy,  who  had  followed' 
many  a  difficult  trail  in  his  time,  ought  to  be  able  to. 

"Mebbe  he  crossed  over  to  the  island  when  the 
water  was  low?"  suggested  Step  Hen,  but  the  idea 
was  instantly  scorned  by  Giraffe. 

"You  forget  that  the  river's  been  on  the  boom 
for  some  little  while,"  he  said  loftily;  "and  we 
happen  to  know  that  George  wasn't  far  ahead  of 
us  just  yesterday.  Now,  you're  wondering  if  I've 
got  a  theory  of  my  own,  and  I'll  tell  you  what  I 
think.  Somehow  or  other  George  must  have  been 
in  a  boat,  and  came  that  way.  How  do  we  know 
but  what  he  was  trying  to  cross  over,  and  the  cur- 
rent swept  him  down  stream?  Then,  again,  he 
might  have  been  in  some  house  or  barn  that  was 
carried  away  by  the  flood,  and  managed  to  get 
ashore  here." 

"Say,  Triad,  don't  you  remember  what  I  told  you 
last  night,  when  the  rest  were  making  so  much 
noise,  and  I  was  dead  sure  I  heard  a  shout?"  in- 
terrupted Davy,  with  considerable  excitement. 

"Is  that  so?"  demanded  Giraffe ;  "well,  that  might 
have  been  the  time  he  landed  here,  and  discovering 
that  we  wore  uniforms,  he  was  afraid  to  break 
in,  so  like  as  not  he  just  hung  around  and  watched 
us,  till  he  got  a  chance  to  sneak  all  our  bully  grub.'' 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         183 

"Thad,  you  haven't  told  us  what  you  think  yet," 
remarked  Smithy,  who  had  been  listening  to  all 
this  excited  talk,  and  hearing  so  many  wonderful 
suggestions  made  that  he  was  quite  bewildered; 
"did  this  tramp  fly  over  here;  was  he  washed  up 
on  the  island  by  the  flood;  or  did  he  find  himself 
castaway  on  some  floating  cabin,  and  manage  to 
get  ashore  by  good  luck?" 

Thad  must  have  been  using  his  head  to  some 
advantage  during  this  time,  for  he  appeared  to  have 
made  up  his  mind  decisively. 

"To  tell  you  the  truth,"  he  remarked,  "I  don't 
take  any  stock  in  either  the  flying  scheme  or  the 
one  that  brings  in  a  floating  hencoop  or  cabin  to 
account  for  Wandering  George's  being  here.  I 
feel  pretty  sure  he  came  on  board  a  boat." 

"Is  that  so,  Thad?"  Giraffe  went  on  to  remark; 
"what  kind  of  a  boat  would  you  say  it  was,  now?" 

"Oh!  something  in  the  shape  of  a  shanty-boat!" 
continued  the  other. 

"You  mean  like  the  one  that  brought  us  here?" 
demanded  Step  Hen. 

"The  same  one!"  Thad  shot  back,  with  an  em- 
phasis that  staggered  his  hearers,  since  all  sorts 
of  exclamations  burst  from  their  lips. 

"Thad,  do  you  really  mean  that?" 

"It  wouldn't  be  like  you  to  crack  a  joke,  when 
we're  all  mixed  up  like  this." 

"A  passenger  aboard  our  boat,  and  none  of  us 
ever  dream  of  it;  well,  I  must  say  you've  got  me 
guessing,  Thad.  However  could  that  be?"  and 
Bumpus  plucked  at  the  sleeve  of  the  patrol  leader, 


184  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

as  though  thrilled  through  and  through  by  the 
staggering  announcement  just  made. 

"Well,  you  see,  it's  just  dawned  on  me,"  Thad 
commenced  to  say,  "and  I  haven't  had  much  time 
to  figure  it  out  myself,  but  the  more  I  think  it  over 
the  stronger  my  belief  grows.  Look  back  a  bit,  and 
you'll  remember  that  we  found  a  light  in  the  cabin 
when  we  boarded  the  boat." 

"Yes,  that's  so,  Thad,"  assented  Giraffe. 

"And  supper  cooking,  too,"  added  Bumpus. 

"With  not  a  soul  in  sight,  which  we  thought 
mighty  queer,"  Step  Hen  went  on  to  say,  as  his 
contribution. 

"And  all  the  while  we  stayed  there,  up  to  the 
time  the  cable  broke,  there  was  never  a  sign  of  the 
man  that  owned  the  boat,  either,"  Davy  reminded 
them. 

"You  remember,"  Thad  continued,  "that  we 
figured  out  at  first  the  owner  of  the  boat  must 
have  seen  us  coming,  and  hid  himself  somewhere 
ashore,  hoping  we'd  take  a  look  about  and  pass  on. 
We  even  guessed  he  must  have  some  reason  to  fear 
arrest,  and  thought  we  were  connected  with  the 
state  militia.  But  after  learning  of  Wandering 
George's  being  here  on  the  island  I've  hatched  up 
another  idea,  and  I'll  tell  you  just  what  it  runs 
like." 

"Good  for  you,  Thad ;  we're  listening  like  every- 
thing," muttered  Bumpus,  at  the  elbow  of  the  chief 
scout. 

"I've  come  to  the  conclusion,"  Thad  began,  "that 
the  two  tramps  must  have  chased  the  owner  of 
the  shanty-boat  away  some  time  befo»~  we  struck 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         185 

in.  Now  that  I'm  on  the  track  I  can  remember 
there  were  certain  signs  of  confusion  aboard  when 
we  first  entered;  things  seemed  tossed  around,  as 
if  someone  had  been  looking  in  places  for  hidden 
valuables.  That  would  be  just  what  these  two 
yeggmen  were  apt  to  do,  you  see.  And  while  one 
began  to  cook  some  supper,  the  other  may  have 
started  in  to  ransack  the  place." 

"Yes,  and  about  that  time  they  glimpsed  us  com- 
ing along ;  is  that  the  way  you  figure  it  out,  Thad  ?" 
asked  Allan  eagerly;  for  this  explanation  on  the 
part  of  his  chum  appealed  strongly  to  him. 

"Yes,  they  saw  a  bunch  of  fellows  in  khaki  run- 
ning toward  the  boat,"  pursued  the  scout  master; 
"and  as  it  was  too  late  for  them  to  make  a  safe 
getaway,  they  just  lifted  a  trap  in  the  floor  of  the 
cabin,  and  dropped  into  the  hold  of  the  boat." 

"Je-ru-sa-lem !"  gasped  Giraffe,  "now,  what  d'ye 
think  of  that?  All  the  time  we  were  aboard  the 
old  boat  George  and  his  pal  were  hiding  in  the  hold, 
and  waiting  for  us  to  vacate  the  ranch!  Thad,  I 
honestly  believe  you've  struck  oil." 

"But,"  interposed  Step  Hen,  who  on  this  occasion 
seemed  disposed  to  be  the  only  doubter,  "why 
wouldn't  they  have  made  some  attempt  to  escape 
while  we  slept,  before  the  flood  got  so  bad  that 
the  boat  broke  away  from  her  moorings?" 

"There  must  have  been  some  reason,"  Thad  told 
him ;  "and  we  may  be  able  to  give  a  stab  at  it,  even 
if  we  never  know  the  real  truth.  If  you  look  back 
again,  Step  Hen,  to  how  we  were  sprawled  about 
on  the  floor  of  that  little  cabin,  trying  to  get  some 
sleep,  and  wrapped  in  our  blankets,  you'll  likely 


186  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

remember  that  the  eight  of  us  managed  to  cover 
about  all  the  limited  space  there  was  around." 

"Every  foot  of  the  floor,  for  a  fact,  Thad,"  Davy 
admitted;  "and  I  even  threatened  to  hang  by  my 
toes  from  a  hook,  and  sleep  like  a  bat  does,  only 
Giraffe  told  me  all  the  blood  would  run  to  my  head, 
because  that  was  the  only  empty  place  in  my  make- 
up." 

"Well,  somebody  must  have  been  lying  on  that 
trap  door,  and  whenever  the  men  below  tried  to 
raise  it  they  understood  there  was  nothing  doing," 
Thad  explained. 

"Yes,  that  carries  it  up  to  the  time  we  broke 
loose,  and  started  on  our  wild  ride  down  the  flood," 
Step  Hen  admitted;  "but  you'd  think  they'd  have 
let  us  know  about  having  passengers  aboard.  When- 
ever we  bucked  up  against  a  rock,  and  the  bally  old 
tub  threatened  to  turn  upside-down,  think  how 
scared  George  and  his  pal  must  'a'  been.  Whew !  it 
was  bad  enough  above-decks,  let  alone  being  shut 
down  there,  and  not  knowing  what  wa?  happen- 
ing." 

"Of  course  I  can't  tell  you  what  they  thought, 
and  why  they  didn't  try  to  communicate  with  us," 
Thad  went  on.  "It  might  be  they  felt  that  if  they 
had  to  choose  between  giving  themselves  up  or 
staying  down  in  the  hold  and  taking  their  chances 
they'd  prefer  the  last.  But  when  we  left  the  boat 
I  honestly  believe  they  were  aboard  still." 

"Yes,  and  they'd  guess  she  had  struck  shore,  from 
the  steady  way  she  hung  there,"  Giraffe  continued, 
taking  up  the  story  in  his  turn,  "and  of  course 
they  knew  that  we  were  clearing  out.  So,  what 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         187 

did  they  do  but  follow  suit,  as  soon  as  they  thought 
the  coast  was  clear." 

"How  about  it  now,  Step  Hen;  any  more  ob- 
jections?" asked  the  patrol  leader. 

"I  guess  I'm  through,  Thad,"  acknowledged  the 
other  slowly,  as  though  still  unable  to  fully  grasp 
the  strange  thing;  "you've  made  out  a  pretty  strong 
case,  and  I  don't  glimpse  a  break  in  the  chain. 
That's  the  way  you  always  hammer  it  in.  If  that 
hobo  is  here,  then  chances  are  he  did  come  along 
with  us,  even  if  we  never  smelled  a  rat." 

"In  the  excitement  of  getting  away,"  Thad  re- 
sumed, "I  forgot  I'd  noticed  cracks  in  the  cabin 
floor  that  looked  like  a  trap  leading  down  into  the 
hold  of  the  boat.  That  was  partly  why  I  had  Gi- 
raffe go  back  to  where  we  left  the  shanty-boat. 
You  remember  he  came  and  told  us  it  had  been 
driven  off  the  point  by  that  big  squall." 

"I'm  wondering  what  would  have  happened  if 
you'd  thought  about  the  hold  under  the  cabin  be- 
fore we  ever  quitted  our  old  craft?"  Giraffe  re- 
marked. 

"Oh!  we'd  have  found  what  was  down  there, 
and  with  guns  in  our  hands  could  have  easily  cowed 
the  hoboes,"  Allan  told  him. 

"Fight  or  no  fight,  that's  what  we  would  have 
done !"  declared  Bumpus  vigorously. 

"Listen  to  him,  will  you?"  chuckled  Step  Hen; 
"isn't  he  just  the  fierce  Cossack,  though?  I  can 
see  that  tramp  army  wilting  when  they  sighted 
Bumpus  threatening  to  jump  down  on  'em.  Who'd 
blame  anybody  for  throwing  up  the  sponge  rather'n 
be  mashed  flat  by  such  a  hippo?" 


188  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

"Well,"  remarked  Giraffe,  as  he  rubbed  his  hands 
together  in  a  satisfied  fashion,  "one  thing  sure,  our 
old  luck's  still  hanging  on." 

"How  do  you  make  that  out,  Giraffe?"  inquired 
Smithy. 

"We  started  on  this  hike  with  the  idea  of  over- 
taking the  tramp  who  was  wearing  the  coat  the 
judge's  wife  gave  away  by  mistake,  didn't  we?" 
the  lengthy  scout  demanded.  "Well,  stop  and  think 
for  a  minute,  will  you,  what's  happened  to  us? 
Here  we  are,  marooned  on  an  island,  from  which 
nobody  can  get  away  right  at  present  unless  he 
swims,  and  none  of  us  feel  like  trying  that  in  such 
cold  water,  do  we  ?  Did  you  ever  know  a  hobo  who 
would  willingly  take  a  bath?  Well,  put  things  to- 
gether, and  what  do  you  get?  Wandering  George, 
coat  and  all  let's  hope,  is  shut  up  here  on  this  strip 
of  ground  with  us;  and  all  we've  got  to  do  is  to 
round  him  up  to-day.  Now,  do  you  see,  Smithy?" 

Somehow  this  plain  way  of  putting  the  case  ap- 
pealed to  every  one  of  them ;  for  immediately  Bum- 
pus  was  shaking  hands  with  Step  Hen,  and  as  if 
to  show  their  satisfaction  over  the  way  things 
were  turning  out  some  of  the  rest  did  likewise. 

"Course,"  said  Giraffe,  as  he  gave  Davy's  digits 
a  squeeze  that  made  the  other  fairly  wince,  "we 
can't  say  just  how  we'll  corner  the  slippery  rat,  but 
there'll  be  a  way,  make  up  your  mind  to  that,  boys." 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         189 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

AN  EMPTY  LARDER. 

"I'M  only  afraid  it'll  be  too  late,  Giraffe,"  Bum- 
pus  was  heard  to  remark,  with  a  skeptical  air. 

"Too  late  for  what?"  demanded  the  tall  scout, 
who  had  dropped  to  his  knees,  and  was  starting  to 
follow  the  trail  left  by  Wandering  George,  after 
the  latter  had  gained  his  feet,  and  moved  away  from 
the  vicinity  of  the  camp. 

"Why,  there  won't  be  a  sign  of  our  grub  left  by 
that  time,  you  see;  George:  he'll  be  awful  hungry, 
and  it's  surprising  what  a  lot  of  stuff  a  regular  hobo 
can  put  away  when  he  tries." 

"And  hoboes  ain't  the  only  ones,  Bumpus,"  inti- 
mated Davy;  "I'd  match  you  and  Giraffe  here 
against  the  best  of  'em.  But  let's  hope  we'll  find 
a  way  to  get  off  this  island  before  night  comes,  and 
strike  a  farmhouse  where  they'll  feed  us  like  the 
Baileys  did." 

"Oh!  do  you  really  think  there's  a  chance  of  that 
happening  to  us,  Davy?"  exclaimed  Bumpus,  inten- 
tionally omitting  to  show  any  ill  feeling  on  account 
of  the  little  slur  concerning  his  appetite.  "I'd  be 
willing  to  even  go  without  my  lunch  in  the  middle 
of  the  day  if  I  could  believe  we'd  be  sitting  with 
our  knees  under  a  groaning  table  to-night.  Seems 


190  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

like  when  you're  beginning  to  face  starvation  every 
good  thing  you  ever  liked  keeps  popping  up  in  your 
head." 

Giraffe  at  this  juncture  called  out,  and  his  man- 
ner indicated  that  he  had  made  a  discovery  of  some 
sort. 

"What  is  it,  Giraffe?"  asked  Thad. 

"I  just  bet  you  he's  found  where  George  sat 
down  and  ate  up  every  crumb  of  that  grub,"  mut- 
tered Bumpus,  whose  mind  seemed  to  be  wholly 
concerned  with  the  question  of  the  lost  supplies. 

"George  was  joined  here  by  his  pal,  who  must 
have  been  hanging  out,  waiting  for  him,"  Giraffe 
told  them;  and  as  he  examined  the  tracks  further 
he  added;  "and  say,  I  reckon  now  that  second 
fellow  got  hurt  some  way,  while  he  was  cooped 
up  in  the  black  hole  under  the  cabin  floor." 

"Now  how  do  you  make  that  out,  Giraffe  ?"  asked 
Davy. 

"Why,  I  can  see  that  he  limps  like  everything," 
the  other  went  on  to  say,  doubtless  applying  his 
knowledge  of  woodcraft  to  the  case.  "One  foot 
drags  every  step  he  takes,  and  it  didn't  do  that 
before,  I  happen  to  know.  That's  why  George  vol- 
unteered to  do  the  cribbing  all  by  himself,  while 
the  other  waited." 

"That  makes  two  to  handle  instead  of  one,  doesn't 
it?"  Allan  remarked;  and  oace  more  Bumpus 
groaned. 

"Two  is  a  whole  lot  worse  than  one,  to  get  away 
with  things,"  he  observed,  with  a  piteous  air  of 
resignation,  as  though  he  was  now  perfectly  satis- 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         191 

fied  they  would  none  of  them  ever  see  the  first  sign 
of  the  stolen  provisions  again. 

"If  there's  a  trail  why  can't  we  start  in,  and 
track  the  two  hoboes  down?"  suggested  Davy  vig- 
orously. 

They  had  followed  Giraffe,  so  that  all  of  them 
were  just  back  of  him  at  this  time.  The  tall  scout, 
however,  shook  his  head  in  a  disappointing  way. 

"I'd  like  to  try  that  the  worst  kind,"  he  re- 
marked, "but  I  reckon  it's  no  go.  You  can  hardly 
see  the  footprints  here,  and  they  get  fainter  as 
they  go  on.  Besides,  we'd  make  all  manner  of  noise 
creeping  through  this  scrub,  and  they'd  be  wise  to 
our  coming,  so  they  could  keep  moving  off.  There's 
a  better  way  to  capture  George  than  that,  fellows." 

"Yes,"  added  Thad,  "we  can  comb  the  island 
from  one  end  to  the  other.  It  can't  be  of  any  great 
size,  you  see;  and  by  forming  a  line  across  at  the 
top  we  could  cover  about  every  foot  of  it.  In  the 
end  we'd  corner  the  tramps,  and  make  them  sur- 
render. We've  got  the  whole  day  before  us, 
and  tne  sun  promises  to  shine,  too,  so  we  can  count 
on  its  being  warmer." 

"The  whole  day,"  Bumpus  remarked  disconso- 
lately, "that  means  twelve  long  hours,  don't  it? 
Well,  I  suppose  I  can  stand  the  thing  if  the  rest 
of  you  can;  but  it's  really  the  most  dreadful  calamity 
that  ever  faced  us.  They  say  starving  is  an  easy 
death,  but  it  wouldn't  be  to  me." 

No  one  was  paying  any  attention  to  his  complain- 
ings, so  Bumpus  stopped  short  in  order  to  listen 
to  what  the  others  were  saying.  Possibly  he  told 
himself  that  the  best  way  to  forget  his  troubles 


192  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

was  to  get  interested  in  what  was  going  on.  And 
it  might  be  there  still  remained  a  shred  of  hope 
in  his  heart  that  if  they  made  a  quick  job  of  the 
surround,  and  capture,  perhaps  they  might  retake 
enough  of  the  purloined  food  to  constitute  a  bare 
meal  at  noon. 

"First  of  all  we've  got  to  have  our  breakfast, 
such  as  it  is,"  Thad  observed. 

"Tea  and  grits — oh!  my  stars!"  sighed  Giraffe; 
whereupon  Bob  White  turned  upon  him  with  the 
cutting  remark: 

"You  ought  to  be  thankful  for  the  grits,  suh, 
believe  me;  it  satisfies  me,  let  me  tell  you.  I 
wouldn't  give  a  snap  fo'  all  the  tea  in  China  or 
Japan;  but  grits  make  bone  and  muscle.  You  can 
do  a  day's  work  on  a  breakfast  of  the  same.  Only 
it  takes  a  long  time  to  cook  properly,  suh;  and 
the  sooner  we  get  the  pot  started  the  better." 

"You  attend  to  that,  Bumpus,  please,"  said  Gi- 
raffe, "and  be  sure  you  get  enough  to  satisfy  the 
crowd,  even  if  you  have  to  use  two  kettles,  and  the 
whole  package  of  hominy.  I  want  to  talk  things 
over  with  Thad  here." 

Bumpus  hesitated  for  a  minute.  He  hardly  knew 
which  he  wanted  to  do  most,  stay  there  and  listen, 
or  return  to  the  fire  and  begin  operations  looking 
to  the  cooking  of  that  forlorn  breakfast. 

Finally,  as  he  received  a  message  from  the  in- 
ner man  that  it  was  time  some  attention  was  paid 
to  the  fact  that  nature  abhorred  a  vacuum  he  turned 
away  and  trotted  toward  the  camp  fire. 

Giraffe,  together  with  Thad  and  Allan,  tried  to 
follow  the  trail  of  the  two  tramps  further,  but 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         193 

soon  gave  it  up.  After  all,  the  several  reasons  why 
they  should  turn  to  the  other  way  of  rounding  up 
the  concealed  men  appealed  strongly  to  them. 

Later  on  they  returned  to  the  camp,  to  sit  around 
and  wait  for  their  breakfast  to  cook.  Nobody 
looked  very  cheerful  that  morning.  Somehow  the 
fact  that  they  were  isolated  there  on  that  island 
with  only  one  meal  between  them  and  dire  hunger, 
loomed  up  like  a  great  mountain  before  their  men- 
tal vision. 

In  the  end  they  found  that  grits  did  satisfy  their 
hunger  remarkably  well;  and  taking  Giraffe's  ad- 
vice Bumpus  had  actually  cooked  the  entire  amount 
on  hand,  so  there  was  plenty  to  go  around  three 
times. 

The  tea  was  another  matter,  for  they  had  neither 
sugar  nor  milk  to  go  with  it,  and  although  each 
fellow  managed  to  drink  one  cup,  some  of  them 
made  wry  faces  while  disposing  of  the  brewing. 

"Kind  of  warms  you  up  inside,"  commented 
Davy,  "and  that's  the  only  reason  I  try  to  get  it 
down;  but,  oh!  you  coffee!" 

"Here,  none  of  that,  Davy,"  said  Thad;  "scouts 
have  to  make  the  best  of  a  bad  bargain,  and  never 
complain.  We'd  be  feeling  lots  worse  if  it  wasn't 
for  this  breakfast." 

"Well,  suh,  I'm  quite  satisfied,  and  feel  as  if  I'd 
had  the  pick  of  the  land,"  Bob  White  remarked 
stoutly. ' 

"Yes,  but  you  like  the  stuff,  and  I  never  would 
eat  it  at  home,"  complained  Step  Hen. 

"Time  you  began  to  know  what  good  things  are» 
then,  suh,"  the  Southern  boy  told  him  plainly. 


194  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

Even  Bumpus  admitted  that  he  felt  very  good 
after  they  had  emptied  both  kettles  of  the  simple 
fare.  For  the  time  being  he  was  able  to  put  the 
dismal  future  out  of  his  mind,  and  actually  smile 
again. 

Thad  had  not  told  them  as  yet  what  plan  he  was 
arranging  with  regard  to  hunting  down  the  tramps 
who  were  on  the  island  with  them,  and  of  course 
most  of  the  scouts  were  eager  to  know. 

Accordingly,  after  the  meal  was  finished,  they 
began  to  crowd  around  and  give  the  scout  master 
hints  that  they  were  waiting  for  him  to  arrange 
the  details  of  that  "combing"  business  he  had  spoken 
of. 

"It's  going  to  be  a  simple  matter,"  Thad  re- 
marked. "We'll  go  to  the  place  where  the  shanty- 
boat  went  aground,  and  make  our  start  from  there, 
gradually  stretching  out  until  we  cover  the  island 
from  shore  to  shore,  and  in  that  way  pushing  our 
quarry  further  along  toward  the  lower  end." 

"And,"  pursued  Giraffe,  following  the  plan  in 
his  mind,  "as  the  hoboes  will  of  course  object  to 
taking  to  the  water,  we'll  corral  the  pair  in  the 
end." 

"Do  you  reckon  they've  got  any  sort  of  gun 
along,  Thad?"  asked  Step  Hen;  though  it  was  not 
timidity  that  caused  him  to  ask  the  question,  for 
as  a  rule  he  could  be  depended  on  to  hold  his  own 
when  it  came  to  showing  fight. 

"We  don't  know,  of  course,  about  that,"  he  was 
told;  "though  it's  often  the  case  that  these  tramps 
carry  such  a  thing,  especially  the  dangerous  stripe 
like  this  Wandering  George  seems  to  be." 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         195 

"He  didn't  pull  any  gun  on  the  farmer,  when 
Mr.  Bailey  caught  him  robbing  his  desk,  you  re- 
member, Thad?"  Davy  mentioned. 

"No,  but  he  upset  the  lamp,  and  then  skipped 
out,  leaving  the  inmates  of  the  farmhouse  to  fight 
the  fire,  which  was  a  cowardly  thing  to  do,"  Bum- 
pus  observed. 

"I  hadn't  forgotten  about  the  chances  of  them 
being  armed  when  I  spoke  of  forming  a  line  across 
the  island,  and  searching  every  foot  of  the  same/* 
Thad  explained;  "and  the  way  we'll  be  safe  in 
doing  that  I'll  explain.  Now,  we  ought  to  leave 
two  fellows  to  look  after  the  camp,  with  a  gun 
between  them.  The  rest  can  be  divided  up  into 
three  squads,  each  couple  having  one  of  the  other 
guns.  We'll  manage  to  keep  in  touch  with  each 
other,  as  we  work  along,  zigzag-like,  and  a  signal 
will  tell  that  the  game  has  been  started.  Do  you 
understand  that?" 

"Plain  enough,  Thad,"  Giraffe  told  him,  as  he 
picked  up  his  gun,  and  in  this  way  signified  that 
he  was  ready  for  the  start. 

"Huh!  but  who's  going  to  be  left  behind?"  Bum- 
pus  wanted  to  know;  his  whole  demeanor  betray- 
ing the  fact  in  advance  that  he  could  give  a  pretty 
good  guess  as  to  who  one  of  the  unfortunates  might 
prove  to  be. 

"I  think  it  would  be  wiser  for  me  to  appoint 
you  and  Smithy  to  that  post  of  honor,"  he  was 
immediately  informed  by  Thad;  "and  you  want  to 
understand  it  is  just  as  important  that  you  do  your 
duty  well  here,  as  that  we  carry  out  our  part  of 
the  game.  A  scout  never  asks  why  he's  told  to  do 


196  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

a  certain  thing,  when  perhaps  he'd  like  to  be  in  an- 
other position.  Whether  he  serves  as  the  hub,  the 
tire,  or  one  of  the  spokes,  he  feels  that  he's  an  im- 
portant part  of  the  whole  wheel,  and  without  him 
nothing  can  be  done.  There's  just  as  much  honor 
in  guarding  the  camp  as  in  creeping  through  the 
tangle  of  vines  and  scrub  bushes.  And,  Bumpus, 
I'm  the  one  to  judge  who's  best  fitted  for  that  sort 
of  work." 

"Thad,  I'm  not  saying  a  single  word,"  expostu- 
lated the  stout  scout;  "fact  is,  if  you  come  right 
down  to  brass  tacks,  I'm  satisfied  to  stay  here, 
rather  than  scratch  my  way  along,  and  p'raps  break 
my  nose  tumbling.  And  I'm  sure  Smithy  is  built 
the  same  way.  I  hope  you'll  let  me  hold  the  gun 
you  leave  with  us,  which  ought  to  be  my  own  re- 
peating Marlin,  because  it's  already  proved  its 
worth.  And,  Thad,  you  remember  I  shot  it  with 
some  success  the  time  we  were  out  there  in  the 
Rockies  after  big  game." 

"That's  only  a  fair  bargain,  Bumpus,"  he  was  told 
by  the  scout  master;  "and  you  can  consider  it  a 
bargain.  We'll  look  to  hear  a  good  report  from 
you  when  we  come  back  to  camp  again." 

"And  with  our  prisoners  in  charge,  too,"  added 
the  confident  Giraffe. 

Bumpus  saw  them  depart  with  a  gloomy  look, 
as  though  he  felt  that  all  chances  of  winning  new 
laurels  had  been  snatched  away  when  he  was  or- 
dered to  keep  camp. 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         197 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

DRAWING  THE  NET. 

WHENEVER  Thad  Brewster  started  to  do  any- 
thing he  went  about  it  in  a  thorough  manner.  He 
was  no  believer  in  halfway  measures,  which  ac- 
counted for  much  of  the  success  that  had  crowned 
his  efforts  in  the  past,  as  those  who  have  read 
former  books  in  this  series  must  know. 

He  arranged  the  beating  party  in  such  a  way 
that  Giraffe  and  Davy  went  together;  Allan  had 
Step  Hen  for  a  companion;  while  the  Southern 
lad  accompanied  Thad  himself. 

Having  given  the  camp  keepers  a  few  last  in- 
structions, with  regard  to  remaining  on  the  alert, 
and  listening  for  any  signals  such  as  members  of 
the  Silver  Fox  Patrol  were  in  the  habit  of  exchang- 
ing while  in  the  woods  and  separated,  Thad  led  the 
way  toward  the  upper  end  of  the  island. 

They  found  no  trouble  in  arriving  there.  The 
river  had  indeed  fallen  very  much,  and  the  flat 
rock  upon  which  the  nose  of  the  shanty-boat  had 
been  driven  by  the  fierce  current  was  now  away 
out  of  the  water.  Had  the  craft  remained  where 
it  struck  it  would  be  high  and  dry  ashore. 

The  boys  would  not  have  been  human  had  they 
not  first  of  all  looked  yearningly  toward  the  shore, 
between  which  and  themselves  rolled  a  wide  stretch 


198  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

of  water.  Still,  as  the  sun  shone  brightly,  and  the 
air  was  getting  comfortably  warm,  the  outlook  did 
not  seem  anything  like  that  which  they  had  faced 
on  the  preceding  morning.  And,  besides,  they  had 
just  eaten  a  breakfast  that  at  least  satisfied  their 
gnawing  hunger,  and  that  counted  for  considerable. 

Thad  did  not  waste  much  time  in  looking  around, 
but  proceeded  to  business.  He  had  already  appor- 
tioned his  followers,  so  that  everyone  knew  who 
his  mate  was  to  be. 

"Allan,  you  and  Step  Hen  take  the  right  third; 
Giraffe,  cover  the  left  side  with  Davy;  and  we'll 
look  after  the  middle,"  he  told  them,  in  his  quiet 
yet  positive  way,  that  caused  the  words  to  sink  in 
and  be  remembered. 

"And  in  case  we  run  across  George  and  his  pal 
we're  to  give  a  yell ;  is  that  the  game,  Thad  ?"  asked 
the  lengthy  scout. 

"Our  old  shout  that  we  know  so  well,  don't  for- 
get," he  was  told.  "An  ordinary  whoop  isn't 
enough,  for  somebody  might  let  out  that  kind  if 
only  he  tripped  and  felt  himself  falling.  If  you 
want  me  to  c©me  across,  bark  like  a  fox  three  times. 
In  case  you  get  no  answer,  repeat  the  signal;  and 
if  that  doesn't  fetch  me,  call  out  my  name." 

"We're  on,  Thad;  is  that  all?"  Giraffe  asked  im- 
patiently. 

"Go!" 

With  that  they  were  off,  three  pair  of  eager  hu- 
man hounds,  bent  on  discovering  the  hiding-place 
of  the  tramps  who  had  for  so  long  been  hovering 
just  ahead  of  them  like  one  of  those  strange  lights 
in  swampy  marshes,  a  jack-o'-lantern  they  call  it, 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         199 

that  keeps  eluding  your  grasp,  now  appearing  here, 
and  then  vanishing,  to  crop  up  suddenly  in  another 
place. 

To  begin  with  it  seemed  easy  enough  to  move 
along.  The  scrub  was  not  very  dense  at  the  upper 
end  of  the  island,  for  some  reason  or  other,  but 
Deemed  to  get  heavier  the  further  they  advanced. 

Acting  on  the  suggestions  of  Thad,  each  couple 
spread  out  a  little  more  as  they  continued  to  push 
on,  although  remaining  in  touch  with  one  another. 
In  this  way  it  was  possible  to  cover  more  ground 
than  by  keeping  close  together. 

Giraffe  was  certainly  in  his  element.  He  kept 
his  gun-stock  partly  under  his  arm,  and  was  ready 
to  elevate  the  weapon  at  a  second's  warning;  in 
fact,  as  he  prowled  along  in  this  way  the  tall  scout 
looked  the  picture  of  a  hunter  expecting  feathered 
game  to  flush  before  him,  which  he  must  cover  in- 
stantly, or  expect  it  to  place  obstacles  between,  as 
a  woodcock  always  will. 

Davy  did  not  like  to  roam  along  entirely  un- 
armed, and  hence  he  had  hunted  up  a  club,  which 
he  gripped  valorously.  He  kept  just  a  little  be- 
hind Giraffe,  if  an  imaginary  line  were  marked 
across  the  island  from  shore  to  shore.  This  was 
because  he  wished  to  allow  the  one  who  held  the 
firearm  a  full  sweep  of  territory  in  case  he  found 
occasion  to  shoot,  or  even  threaten. 

Now  and  then  Giraffe  would  speak  to  his  com- 
panion, as  a  rule  asking  him  to  "kindly  give  a  poke 
in  that  patch  of  bushes,  where  it  looks  like  a  man 
might  find  it  easy  to  hide" ;  or  "peek  into  that  hole 
between  the  rocks,  Davy — don't  be  afraid  a  bear'll 


200  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

come  out  at  you,  'cause  there  ain't  any  such  good 
luck  waiting  for  us." 

By  giving  various  signals  the  boys  managed  to 
maintain  something  like  a  straight  line  as  they 
pushed  on.  They  could  see  one  another  frequently, 
too,  which  enabled  them  to  keep  from  forging 
ahead  in  any  one  place. 

"Listen  to  the  crows  cawing,  will  you?"  Giraffe 
presently  remarked,  as  though  the  noise  of  the 
flock  might  be  sweet  music  to  his  ears,  since  it 
told  of  the  life  in  the  open  which  Giraffe  dearly 
loved. 

"They're  a  noisy  lot,  ain't  they?"  remarked  Davy; 
"whatever  d'ye  s'pose  ails  that  bunch  of  crows, 
Giraffe?  Would  they  scold  that  way  if  they  just 
happened  to  see  a  pair  of  hoboes  eating  breakfast, 
d'ye  think?" 

"Well,  it  might  be  they  would,"  the  other  re- 
plied thoughtfully;  "and  come  to  think  of  it  they're 
somewhere  down  below  us,  ain't  they?  Hunters 
often  know  when  game  is  moving  by  the  signs  in 
the  sky ;  for  birds  can  see  down,  and  they  talk,  you 
know,  in  a  language  of  their  own.  I've  often  wished 
I  could  understand  what  crows  said  when  they 
scolded  so  hard." 

Just  there  Davy  began  to  move  away  from  his 
partner  again,  as  he  tried  to  cover  his  share  of  the 
territory;  so  conversation  died  out  temporarily  be- 
tween them. 

They  had  passed  the  place  where  the  camp  fire 
burned,  with  Bumpus  and  Smithy  watching  their 
movements  eagerly.  The  thick  brush  now  hid  the 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         201 

camp  from  their  sight,  and  what  lay  before  them 
they  could  only  guess. 

Once  more  Davy  drew  close  to  his  mate,  thrust- 
ing his  club  to  the  right  and  to  the  left,  in  the  en- 
deavor not  to  leave  a  stone  unturned  in  clearing  up 
the  land. 

"Wherever  do  you  think  they've  gone,  Giraffe?" 
he  asked,  as  though  beginning  to  feel  the  strain  of 
the  suspense  that  hung  over  them,  as  they  continued 
this  strange  hunt  for  the  tramps. 

"It's  my  honest  opinion,"  the  other  replied,  "that 
we  ain't  going  to  see  a  sign  of  'em  till  we  get  away 
down  to  the  other  end.  And  they  didn't  come 
through  here,  either,  because  we'd  have  run  across 
some  sign  to  tell  us  that." 

"Then  how  could  they  reach  the  lower  end  of 
the  island?"  demanded  Davy  quickly,  thinking  he 
had  caught  Giraffe  in  a  hole. 

"Why,  they  made  off  to  the  beach  after  they 
got  the  stuff,  and  trailed  down  that  way,  which 
you  can  understand  must  have  been  the  easiest,  all 
things  considered,"  the  tall  scout  went  on  to  ex- 
plain. "I  believe  in  applying  that  old  principle,  and 
figgering  what  you'd  have  done  if  it  had  been  you. 
A.nd  anybody  with  horse  sense'd  know  it  was  lots 
easier  tramping  on  the  shore,  to  this  way  of  break- 
ing through." 

"Still,  Thad  thought  we  ought  to  do  it?"  Davy 
remarked. 

"Thad  was  right,  as  he  nearly  always  is,"  Giraffe 
pursued  doggedly ;  "because  this  is  the  only  way  we 
can  make  dead  sure.  I've  got  a  hunch  that  they 
built  a  fire  and  proceeded  to  cook  a  warm  meal. 


202  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

Want  to  know  what  makes  me  think  so?  Well, 
we  had  an  extra  box  of  matches  along,  and  that 
went  with  the  rest  of  the  things.  George  knew 
he  needed  it.  Long  before  now  they've  had  their 
fire,  and  it's  all  day  with  that  grub  of  ours.  We'll 
get  it  back  when  we  surround  the  hoboes;  but  you 
won't  know  it." 

"What  if  they  won't  surrender  when  we  ask 
'em?"  Davy  wanted  to  know. 

"They'd  better  go  slow  about  that  same,"  he  was 
immediately  told,  as  Giraffe  shook  his  head  ener- 
getically; "we've  got  the  law  on  our  side,  you  see, 
after  that  pair  breaking  into  the  farmhouse  the  way 
they  did,  and  showing  themselves  to  be  regular 
robbers  as  well  as  tramps,  yeggmen  they  call  that 
kind.  If  I  pinked  George,  after  seeing  him  threaten 
me,  I  couldn't  be  held  responsible  for  the  same. 
When  a  man  is  a  fugitive  from  justice,  and  the 
long  arm  of  the  law  is  stretched  out  to  grab  him,  he 
hasn't  got  any  rights,  you  understand.  Every  man's 
hand  is  against  him,  and  he's  just  got  to  take  his 
medicine,  that's  all." 

Giraffe  had  a  little  smattering  of  legal  knowledge, 
and  he  certainly  did  like  to  hear  himself  talk,  given 
half  a  chance.  Just  then  Davy  seemed  to  be  glad 
to  learn  certain  facts,  upon  which  he  may  have  been 
a  little  hazy. 

"Didn't  I  hear  you  talking  with  Step  Hen  the 
last  time  you  crossed  over  to  his  line;  or  no,  it 
must  have  been  Bob  White,  because  he's  with  Thad 
in  the  middle  track?"  Giraffe  asked,  a  short  time 
later,  as  once  more  he  and  his  partner  came  into 
touch. 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         203 

"Yes,  it  was  Bob  speaking  to  me,"  admitted  the 
other,  "and  what  d'ye  think,  he  said  he  believed  he 
had  discovered  a  bee  tree,  and  only  wished  we 
would  be  here  long  enough  to  get  a  chance  at  the 
honey." 

"Well,  what  next,  I  wonder?"  ejaculated  Giraffe, 
with  the  air  of  one  who  had  received  especially 
good  news;  "I  always  did  say  I  liked  honey  about 
as  well  as  anything  that  grew;  but,  then,"  he  added, 
as  though  seized  with  a  sudden  depressing  remem- 
brance, "what  good  would  all  the  wild  honey  going 
do  a  fellow  when  he  hasn't  got  a  cupful  of  flour  to 
make  a  flapjack  with,  or  a  single  cracker  to  eat 
with  the  nectar?  Oh!  rats!  but  this  is  tough!" 

"Anyhow,"  Davy  continued,  "Bob,  he  said  the 
tree  was  a  whopper  for  size,  and  the  hive  was 
away  up  in  a  dead  limb  that  we  couldn't  well  reach ; 
so  I  guess  that  winds  it  up  for  us  this  trip.  And 
as  you  say,  Giraffe,  what  good  would  just  plain 
honey  do  a  starving  crowd  ?  Give  me  bread  before 
you  try  to  plaster  me  with  honey.  Still,  it's  queer 
how  many  things  we  keep  finding  on  this  same 
island,  isn't  it?" 

"There  goes  another  rabbit  right  now,  Davy; 
and  I  could  have  knocked  him  over  as  easy  as  you 
please,  if  I  was  hunting  something  to  eat,  instead 
of  men!  They  always  do  say  what  strange  things 
you  do  see  when  you  haven't  got  a  gun;  and  with 
us  it  runs  the  other  way;  for  we've  got  a  shooting- 
iron,  but  dassen't  use  the  same  for  fear  of  alarming 
our  human  quarry." 

"You  do  manage  to  put  things  before  a  fellow 
the  finest  way  ever,  Giraffe,"  Davy  told  him;  "and 


204  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

some  of  these  days  I  expect  to  see  you  making  a 
cracking  good  lawyer,  or  an  auctioneer,  or  some- 
thing that  requires  the  gift  of  gab.  But  seems 
to  me  we've  been  poking  like  this  for  a  long  time 
now.  How  much  further  d'ye  think  the  island 
runs?" 

"It's  some  longer'n  I  had  any  idea  would  be  the 
case,"  admitted  Giraffe;  "but  I  reckon  we're  shal- 
lowing up  now.  The  shore  line  looks  to  me  like 
it's  beginnin'  to  draw  in  closer,  every  time  I  make 
the  beach.  If  that's  so  we  ought  to  come  together 
down  at  the  lower  end  before  a  great  while  now." 

"Say,  what  if  we  do  get  there  and  never  once 
sight  George  and  his  pal,  Giraffe?" 

"Aw!  don't  be  trying  to  get  off  conundrums  on 
me,  Davy;  I  never  was  much  good  guessing  the 
answer,"  the  tall  scout  went  on  to  complain.  "It 
don't  seem  like  that  could  happen,  because  they're 
here  on  our  island,  and  we  sure  haven't  left  a 
single  place  unsearched  where  a  fox  could  hide. 
Don't  borrow  trouble,  my  son.  We're  bound  to 
corral  the  pair  down  at  the  lower  point ;  and  they'll 
throw  up  their  hands  when  they  see  us  coming,  six 
abreast,  with  guns  leveled  and  all  that." 

"I  hope  so,  Giraffe ;  I  hope  it  turns  out  that  way ; 
but  I'm  not  feeling  as  sure  as  you  are.  Something 
seems  to  keep  on  telling  me  we're  due  for  a  big 
surprise,  and  I'm  trying  to  shut  my  teeth,  so  as  to 
be  ready  to  meet  it  like  a  scout  should  always  meet 
trouble." 

He  had  hardly  said  the  last  word  when  a  large 
object  jumped  almost  under  Davy's  feet,  upsetting 
him  completely.  And  as  he  fell  over,  nimbly  turn- 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         205 

ing  a  complete  back-somersault,  for  Davy  was  as 
smart  at  such  things  as  any  circus  performer,  he 
managed  to  bawl  out  wildly: 

"Bear !    Bear !  why  don't  you  shoot  it,  Giraffe  ?" 


206  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

THE  SMOKE  CLEW. 

"BEAR  nothing!"  exclaimed  the  scout  who  held 
the  gun. 

He  had  instinctively  elevated  the  weapon  at  the 
first  sound  of  alarm  from  his  ally;  and  had  it  been 
necessary  Giraffe  was  in  a  position  to  have  given 
a  good  account  of  himself,  for  he  was  known  to  be 
a  somewhat  clever  shot. 

Just  in  time,  however,  he  had  managed  to  get  a 
better  view  of  the  creature  that  Davy  had  stumbled 
upon,  losing  his  balance  in  his  excitement. 

"What  was  it,  then,  Giraffe,  if  not  a  bear?  Don't 
tell  me  it  was  a  dog,"  demanded  the  other,  having 
righted  himself  after  his  somersault. 

"Didn't  you  hear  him  grunt  as  he  ran  away?" 
asked  the  lengthy  one  contemptuously ;  for  he  might 
have  pressed  the  trigger  of  his  gun  only  that  just 
in  time  his  ears  had  been  greeted  with  the  sound 
in  question. 

"Grunt?  Great  Caesar's  ghost!  was  that  a  hog?" 
almost  shrieked  Davy. 

"Just  what  it  was,  a  dun-colored  hog,  and  a  rous- 
ing big  critter  in  the  bargain,  let  me  tell  you,  Davy. 
I  saw  him  as  plain  as  anything,  and  he  ran  back 
of  us,  you  noticed,  so  we  won't  be  apt  to  raise 
him  again  in  a  hurry." 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         207 

"But  what'd  an  old  grunter  be  doing  out  here, 
tell  me,  Giraffe?" 

"Shucks!  how  d'ye  think  I'd  know?"  returned 
the  other.  "Expect  I'm  up  in  the  hog  lingo  just 
because  I  did  say  I  always  wanted  to  understand 
crow  talk  ?  Why,  for  all  we  know,  that  hog's  been 
living  here  since  last  summer;  or  else  he's  another 
flood  victim,  and  got  washed  up  like  we  did. 
They're  all  doin'  it,  you  know." 

"Well,  well,  who'd  expect  to  run  up  against  a 
porker?"  Dave  went  on  to  say,  as  he  sought  to  grasp 
the  full  significance  of  the  adventure,  having  by 
now  recovered  from  the  shock  the  sudden  surprise 
had  given  him.  "And  Giraffe,  if  a  hog  this  time, 
what  next  will  we  run  across?  P'raps  there  might 
be  chickens,  and  cows,  and  all  sorts  of  things  close 
by?  Mebbe  the  old  island's  inhabited,  after  all." 

"One  thing  sure,"  Giraffe  went  on  to  say,  in  a 
satisfied  tone,  "this  beats  out  Robinson  Crusoe  by 
a  whole  lot." 

"As  how,  Giraffe?" 

"Is  there  any  comparison  between  hogs  and  goats 
when  it  comes  to  making  a  good  dinner?"  demanded 
the  other.  "Why,  don't  you  see  what  this  means 
to  us,  Davy?  No  use  talking  about  going  hungry 
as  long  as  there's  such  noble  hunting  on  this  little 
patch  of  ground.  Me  to  bag  a  prize  hog,  when  the 
right  time  comes.  Hams,  and  sweet  little  pork 
chops,  and  smoked  shoulders — oh!  we  could  live  a 
week  off  that  buster,  believe  me." 

He  smacked  his  lips,  as  though  the  prospect  gave 
him  unlimited  pleasure.  Davy  himself  had  known 
the  time  when  the  slaughter  of  a  three-hundred 


208  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

pound  hog  afforded  no  occasion  for  showing  more 
than  passing  interest ;  but  that  was  when  starvation 
did  not  stare  him  in  the  face.  Circumstances  alter 
cases;  and  he  was  almost  as  much  excited  over  the 
outlook  now  as  the  always  hungry  Giraffe  seemed 
to  be. 

"How  do  we  know  that  this  place  we've  been 
calling  an  island  isn't  connected  with  the  mainland  ?" 
was  Davy's  next  suggestion. 

"How  d'ye  mean?"  demanded  his  ally,  as  they 
started  on  once  more. 

"Why,  there  might  be  some  sort  of  a  link,  you 
see,  a  sort  of  isthmus,  so  to  call  it,  along  which 
the  hog  made  his  way,  and  where  we  could  skip  out 
of  the  trap;  how  about  that,  Giraffe?" 

"Nothing  doing,  Davy,"  came  the  scornful  reply ; 
"didn't  we  see  that  the  river  ran  past  on  both  sides 
like  a  mill  race?  Well,  it  wouldn't  do  that  if  the 
way  was  blocked  by  a  strip  of  land,  would  it?  Not 
much.  We're  marooned  on  a  sure-enough  island, 
and  you  can't  get  around  that.  Course  we  might 
run  across  a  cow  yet;  same  time  we'll  keep  our 
eyes  peeled  for  a  breadfruit  tree,  and  coffee  bushes, 
and  truck  gardens.  Nothing  like  being  hopeful 
through  it  all." 

"Can  hogs  swim,  Giraffe,  do  you  happen  to 
know?" 

"Well,  you  get  me  there,"  returned  the  other. 
"I  never  saw  one  doing  the  same ;  but  seems  to  me 
I  have  heard  of  such  a  thing.  They  can  do  nearly 
anything,  and  so  swimming  may  be  on  their  list.  I 
only  hope  the  old  chap  don't  take  a  notion  to  clear 
out  of  here  before  I  get  a  crack  at  him,  that's  all." 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         209 

"I  was  only  going  to  say  that  we  might  capture 
the  old  grunter,  and  hitch  him  to  a  log  on  which 
the  whole  lot  of  us  perched,  making  him  tow  the 
same  ashore." 

Of  course  Giraffe  understood  Davy  was  only  jok- 
ing when  he  said  this,  but  he  chose  to  pretend  to 
take  it  seriously. 

"If  you  leave  it  to  me  to  choose,  Davy,"  he  went 
on  to  say  gravely,  "I'd  prefer  to  have  those  hams 
and  the  bacon,  and  take  my  chances  of  paddling 
ashore  afterward.  Besides,  I  don't  believe  we've 
got  anything  to  make  harness  out  of,  so  your  great 
scheme  would  fall  kind  of  flat.  Give  that  bunch 
of  bushes  another  whack  with  your  club  while 
you're  about  it,  will  you?  We  want  to  clear  up 
things  as  we  go  along,  so  we'll  know  the  job's  been 
done  gilt-edged." 

"Looks  like  that's  an  open  place  ahead,  Giraffe," 
ventured  Davy,  after  he  had  complied  with  the  re- 
quest, and  found  nothing. 

"Yes,  it  does  seem  that  way,  Davy,  and  p'r'aps 
now  we'll  have  a  chance  to  look  around  a  bit  when 
we  strike  it.  I  was  just  wondering  whether  the 
river  could  have  been  up  over  all  this  island  any  old 
time  in  the  past,  and  here's  the  evidence  of  the 
same." 

He  pointed  to  what  looked  like  drift  stuff  caught 
in  the  crotch  of  a  tree.  It  may  have  been  lodged 
there  years  back,  but  anyone  with  observation  could 
readily  see  that  it  had  been  carried  to  its  present 
location  by  a  moving  current. 

"As  true  as  anything,  Giraffe,  and  there  must 
have  been  three  feet  of  water  over  the  highest 


210  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

ground  on  the  island  then.  Lucky  the  rain  stopped 
when  it  did,  or  we  might  be  perched  in  trees  right 
at  this  minute." 

"That's  what  Thad  was  saying,  when  he  told  us 
it  was  never  so  bad  but  what  it  might  be  a  whole 
lot  worse.  Think  of  the  bunch  of  us  being  com- 
pelled to  roost  in  trees  day  and  night,  till  some- 
body came  along  in  a  motorboat  and  rescued  us. 
Well,  for  one,  I'm  glad  things  didn't  get  quite 
that  bad." 

As  they  drew  closer  to  the  open  spot  they  could 
see  the  other  scouts  advancing  on  their  right,  and 
covering  the  ground.  They  exchanged  signals,  and 
in  this  way  learned  that  nothing  had  thus  far  been 
seen  of  those  for  whom  they  were  searching. 

Thad  drew  them  together  at  this  point. 

"From  here  on  we'll  be  much  closer,"  he  told 
them  all,  "because  it  looks  as  though  the  end  of 
the  island  must  be  just  a  little  ways  off,  and  it  seems 
to  come  to  a  point  like  the  upper  end.  Look  over 
there,  what  do  you  call  that?"  and  he  pointed  di- 
rectly ahead  as  he  spoke. 

"Smoke !"  announced  Old  Eagle  Eye  instantly. 

Everyone  was  ready  to  confirm  his  announce- 
ment, after  they  had  taken  a  look. 

"And  as  there  couldn't  be  smoke  without  a  fire, 
and  no  fire  unless  some  human  hand  had  started 
it,"  the  scout  master  continued,  in  his  logical  way, 
"it  looks  as  if  we  might  be  closing  in  on  those  we're 
hunting  for,  Wandering  George  and  his  pal." 

"Well,  since  they've  had  a  fire  that  means  the 
finish  of  our  grub,"  commented  Giraffe;  "but  then, 
it's  only  what  we  expected;  and,  Thad,  there's  a 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         211 

great  big  hog  on  this  island — no,  don't  laugh,  be- 
cause I'm  not  referring  to  Bumpus  now.  I  mean 
a  real  porker,  a  whopper  of  several  hundred  pounds 
weight.  Davy  stepped  on  him,  and  I  could  have 
knocked  the  beast  over  as  easy  as  turning  my  hand. 
So  we  don't  need  to  have  any  fear  of  being  starved 
out,  if  it  gets  to  the  worst." 

"That  sounds  good  to  me,  Giraffe,  and  I  can  see 
that  you're  not  joking,"  Thad  told  him.  "We  heard 
some  sort  of  a  row  over  your  way,  but  thought  it 
was  only  one  of  you  tripping  over  those  creepers. 
A  hog  may  not  seem  like  very  fine  company,  but 
that  depends  on  conditions.  Just  now  we'll  be  glad 
to  know  him,  and  to  offer  him  the  warmest  seat 
close  by  our  fire.  Fact  is,  we'll  take  him  as  a  com- 
panion, and  let  him  be  one  of  us.  Now,  let's  make 
our  line  again,  for  we  want  to  push  down  toward 
that  fire  below." 

"There's  another  patch  of  scrub  ahead,  before  we 
get  to  the  point  of  the  island,  and  we  might  lose  our 
game  in  that  if  we  didn't  keep  the  net  drawn  across, 
for  a  fact,"  admitted  Allan,  who  of  course  recog- 
nized the  wisdom  shown  by  the  leader  in  contin- 
uing the  carrying  out  of  his  plan. 

Once  more  they  separated,  but  this  time  it  was 
not  necessary  to  put  much  ground  between  them. 
When  the  line  had  formed  all  eyes  were  turned 
toward  Thad.  He  waved  his  hat,  which  was  the 
signal  to  begin  the  advance;  so  again  each  scout 
moved  on  as  before,  examining  every  possible  cover 
for  signs  of  the  enemy. 

They  had  thus  made  a  clean  sweep  of  the  island. 
Rabbits  may  have  escaped  them  by  hiding  in  cran- 


212  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

nies  among  the  rocks;  and  squirrels  could  have  re- 
mained aloft  in  their  nests  inside  hollow  limbs  of 
trees,  or  secreted  amidst  the  foliage  of  the  evergreen 
hemlocks;  but  certainly  no  larger  object  had  evaded 
them. 

As  they  continued  to  close  in  on  the  spot  where 
the  smoke  arose,  the  scouts  very  naturally  felt  more 
or  less  the  thrill  of  excitement.  They  knew  full 
well  what  it  meant,  for  many  times  in  the  past  the 
same  queer  sensation  had  almost  overpowered  them. 

This  chase  had  been  in  progress  long  enough  now 
to  have  aroused  their  hunting  instincts.  That  the 
old  blue  army  coat  should  eventually  be  returned 
to  the  judge  was  to  most  of  them  a  small  affair, 
for  they  of  course  did  not  know  the  real  reason  why 
its  recovery  mattered  to  the  former  owner;  but 
they  had  somehow  set  their  hearts  on  accomplish- 
ing the  object  they  had  in  view.  And  the  more 
difficulty  they  met  with  in  doing  this,  the  stronger 
their  desire  grew. 

The  trees  became  more  sparse,  so  that  before  long 
they  caught  glimpses  of  the  fire  itself.  It  was  not 
burning  very  briskly,  though  sending  off  consid- 
erable in  the  way  of  smoke,  a  fact  that  convinced 
the  scouts  these  hoboes  knew  nothing  concerning 
woodcraft,  and  the  habits  of  Indians  in  making 
fires  of  certain  kinds  of  dry  fuel  that  hardly  send 
up  any  smoke  at  all. 

Now  the  scouts,  having  finished  their  "combing" 
process,  began  to  gather  together  for  the  final  rush. 
They  had  reached  the  open  ground,  where  no  ob- 
ject half  the  size  of  a  man  could  evade  them,  so 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         213 

they  felt  they  need  have  no  fear  of  either  one  of 
the  hoboes  passing  by. 

"I  see  one  of  them  lying  there,  like  he  might  be 
asleep,  Thad,"  whispered  one  of  the  scouts ;  and  of 
course  it  could  be  taken  for  granted  that  it  was 
Giraffe,  of  the  eagle  eye,  who  spoke. 

"The  second  fellow  may  be  on  the  other  side  of 
the  fire,  back  of  the  smoke,"  remarked  Step  Hen; 
but  somehow  neither  Thad  nor  Allan  could  believe 
this,  because  the  smoke  was  drifting  that  way,  and 
they  knew  very  well  no  one  willingly  places  himself 
on  the  leeward  side  of  a  smudge  like  that,  suffo' 
eating  in  its  effect. 

The  further  they  crept  the  more  concerned  did 
Thad  and  the  Maine  boy  become.  They  could  see 
the  sleeping  tramp  by  now,  and  it  was  with  more  or 
less  uneasiness  they  realized  the  fact  that  he  must 
be  other  than  Wandering  George.  Besides,  not  the 
first  sign  of  the  blue  army  overcoat  did  they  dis- 
cover anywhere. 

While  thus  preparing  to  close  in  on  the  sleeping 
tramp,  and  give  him  a  very  unpleasant  surprise, 
the  scouts  were  feeling  stunned  over  the  mysteri- 
ous disappearance  of  the  man  they  had  been  fol- 
lowing so  far,  and  whom  they  felt  sure  must  have 
been  on  that  very  island  only  a  comparatively  few 
hours  before. 

Thad  kept  hoping  that  the  second  hobo  would 
start  up  from  some  place  when  they  made  their 
presence  known ;  and  it  was  in  this  expectation  that 
he  finally  swung  his  hat,  which  started  his  five 
companions  on  a  hasty  run  toward  the  smoking 
fire. 


214  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

THE  CAPTURE. 

THE  scouts  had  been  eagerly  awaiting  this  mo- 
tion with  the  hat  on  the  part  of  the  patrol  leader. 
.It  acted  on  them  about  in  the  same  way  the  bang 
of  a  starting  pistol  might  with  a  string  of  nerve- 
strained  sprinters,  anxious  to  leap  forward,  with  a 
prize  in  view  to  the  first  under  the  tape. 

Many  times  before  had  they  found  themselves  in 
just  this  same  position,  with  Thad  deciding  the 
start.  Giraffe,  the  fastest  in  the  bunch,  was 
crouched  in  his  accustomed  attitude,  looking  some- 
what like  a  big,  wiry  cat  getting  ready  to  spring; 
while  Bob  White,  Step  Hen,  Allan  and  Davy  Jones 
each  had  assumed  an  attitude  best  suited  to  his  par- 
ticular method  of  starting. 

At  the  same  time  all  of  them  understood  this  was 
not  going  to  be  a  race.  They  had  been  instructed 
to  spread  out  a  little,  after  the  manner  of  an  open 
fan,  as  they  advanced.  This  was  to  give  the  tramp 
as  little  chance  to  escape  as  they  possibly  could. 

Well,  the  hat,  after  being  poised  for  a  few  pre- 
liminary seconds  in  mid-air,  was  suddenly  swung 
downward  with  a  violent  dip.  That  meant  in  the 
plainest  of  language  "Go!"  and  every  fellow  made 
a  forward  move. 

Giraffe  had  been  given  one  of  the  outer  lines, 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         215 

since  that  meant  he  would  have  a  little  more  ground 
to  cover;  and  no  one  was  better  fitted  for  this  than 
the  lanky  scout.  Nature  had  built  him  for  a  run- 
ner from  the  ground  up;  he  did  not  have  a  super- 
fluous ounce  of  fat  on  him,  but  was  all  muscle, 
and,  as  Giraffe  often  proudly  declared,  his  flesh 
was  "as  hard  as  nails." 

It  was  a  pretty  sight  to  see  those  five  fellows  in. 
khaki  begin  to  spread  out  in  that  systematic  way, 
just  as  though  each  one  might  consider  himself  a 
part  of  a  machine. 

Thad  had  purposely  taken  the  center,  so  that  he 
could  keep  an  eye  on  every  part  of  the  field.  It  is 
always  considered  the  best  thing  for  a  captain  on  a 
baseball  club  to  be  posted  somewhere  in  the  dia- 
mond, preferably  on  third  base,  as  that  gives  him 
a  chance  to  watch  the  game  closely.  It  also  allows 
him  the  opportunity  of  running  in  frequently  and 
arguing  with  the  umpire  over  disputed  plays. 

So  far  nothing  had  happened  to  warn  the  dozing 
tramp  of  their  coming.  All  of  the  boys  had  gotten 
under  way  without  a  single  mishap  in  the  line  of  a 
stumble,  which  would  serve  to  warn  their  intended 
victim. 

He  wag  still  sprawled  out  alongside  the  warm 
fire,  and  doubtless  enjoying  himself  in  true  hobo 
style,  caring  nothing  as  to  what  went  wrong  with 
the  world,  so  long  as  he  did  not  miss  a  meal. 

Thad  would  have  been  much  better  satisfied  could 
he  have  glimpsed  that  badly  wanted  army  coat 
somewhere  around ;  but  its  absence,  although  to  be 
regretted,  must  not  interfere  with  the  programme 
he  had  laid  out. 


216  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

The  distance  from  the  shelter  of  the  brush  to  the 
fire  was  not  very  great,  and  could  have  been  cov- 
ered speedily  only  for  the  desire  on  the  part  of  the 
scouts  to  take  the  man  by  surprise. 

Step  Hen  spoiled  this  by  an  unfortunate  stumble, 
which  was  rather  singular,  because  as  a  rule  he  had 
proved  sure-footed.  It  chanced,  however,  that  Step 
Hen  was  watching  the  reclining  figure  by  the  fire 
so  closely  that  he  did  not  notice  some  obstruction 
lying  in  his  path,  so  that  the  first  thing  he  knew 
he  caught  his  toe,  and  measured  his  full  length  on 
the  ground. 

Of  course  that  spoiled  the  surprise  part  of  the 
game.  Thad  knew  it  instantly,  as  the  tramp's  head 
came  up,  and  accordingly  he  uttered  a  quick  com- 
mand. 

"Rush  him!" 

With  that  each  scout  jumped  forward,  eager  to 
be  the  first  to  close  in  on  the  enemy.  Those  who 
had  guns  displayed  them  threateningly,  while  the 
others  waved  their  clubs  in  a  way  that  needed  no 
explanation  as  to  what  use  they  expected  to  make 
of  the  same  presently. 

If  the  actions  of  the  invaders  of  the  hobo  camp 
were  rapid  the  same  could  be  said  concerning  the 
movements  of  the  lone  inmate.  He  must  have 
realized  the  desperation  of  his  position  the  very 
instant  he  sighted  those  advancing  boys  in  .khaki, 
with  such  a  ferocious  display  of  various  weapons  of 
defense  and  offense,  for  like  a  flash  he  scrambled  to 
his  feet. 

As  it  was  hardly  to  be  expected  that  the  tramp 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA          217 

had  prepared  himself  against  a  surprise  like  this, 
the  chances  were  he  acted  solely  from  impulse. 

Giraffe  fully  expected  he  would  try  and  go 
around  their  outermost  guards,  and  with  memories 
of  similar  tactics  employed  on  the  gridiron  he 
changed  his  course  somewhat  in  order  to  cut  off  this 
flight. 

It  was  a  mistake,  for  the  fellow  never  once  en- 
deavored to  flee.  Instead  of  this  he  leaped  over 
to  a  pile  of  rocks  that  chanced  to  lie  close  by,  form- 
ing a  species  of  pyramid.  The  boys  saw  him  throw 
himself  into  the  midst  of  this,  even  while  they  were 
rushing  forward,  though  they  couki  not  anticipate 
what  his  scheme  might  be. 

Events  are  apt  to  happen  with  lightning-like 
rapidity  under  such  conditions  as  these,  and  the  first 
thing  the  boys  knew  there  was  a  sharp  report  as 
of  a  pistol,  and  a  puff  of  smoke  burst  from  the  pile 
of  rocks  that  thrilled  them  to  the  core. 

"He's  got  a  gun!"  snapped  Giraffe,  looking  to 
Thad  to  give  the  order  to  send  back  as  good  as  they 
received. 

It  was  a  time  for  quick  thinking.  The  tramp  was 
evidently  a  desperate  sort  of  fellow,  who,  finding 
himself  in  danger  of  arrest,  meant  to  stand  out  to 
the  end.  He  may  not  have  tried  to  injure  any  of 
them  when  he  fired  that  shot,  but  all  the  same  it 
gave  the  boys  a  chill,  and  several  of  them  involun- 
tarily ducked  their  heads,  as  if  they  fancied  the  hobo 
had  picked  them  out  for  his  target,  and  that  they 
had  heard  the  whiz  of  the  lead  past  their  ears. 

Thad  sized  up  the  situation  in  that  speedy  way  of 
his.  Occasions  sometimes  crop  up  that  call  for  the 


218  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

promptest  kind  of  action;  and  surely  this  looked 
like  one  of  that  kind. 

"Allan,  keep  on  in  the  center,  and  I'll  turn  his 
flank!"  he  shouted.  "Bend  down,  everybody,  and 
get  behind  a  rock  if  you  can.  We've  just  got  to 
land  him,  that's  all  there  is  about  it !" 

Even  while  saying  this  the  scout  master  was  on 
the  jump,  and,  passing  Allan  as  well  as  Bob  White, 
he  sped  toward  the  edge  of  the  water,  making  a 
half  circle. 

There  was  another  sharp  report  from  the  rocks, 
but,  although  the  boys  held  their  breath  while 
watching  their  leader  run,  they  rejoiced  to  see  that 
he  gave  no  sign  of  having  been  injured  by  the 
tramp's  firing. 

Every  boy  was  keyed  up  to  what  Giraffe  would 
call  "top-notch"  condition;  doubtless  hands  quivered 
while  they  clutched  gun  or  club,  and  hearts  beat 
with  the  rapidity  of  so  many  trip-hammers.  But 
to  their  credit  it  could  be  said  that  not  one  of  them 
as  much  as  looked  back  over  their  shoulders,  to  see 
if  the  way  for  retreat  was  open.  That  spoke  well 
for  their  courage,  at  least. 

Thad  reached  the  spot  which  he  had  set  out  to 
attain,  and  instantly  whirled,  to  aim  his  gun  toward 
the  rock  pile.  It  was  just  as  he  had  anticipated, 
for  the  tramp,  while  sheltered  on  the  one  side,  was 
fully  exposed  on  that  looking  down  the  river. 

"Surrender,  or  it'll  be  the  worse  for  you!" 
shouted  Thad. 

"Jump  him,  boys!"  roared  Giraffe,  utterly  un- 
able to  keep  back  a  second  longer,  while  his  nerves 
were  quivering  in  that  furious  fashion. 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         219 

When  Step  Hen  and  the  other  four  saw  the  im- 
petuous right  end  start  straight  toward  the  rock 
pile,  they  gave  a  shout,  and  proceeded  to  imitate  his 
example.  Boys  are  a  good  deal  like  sheep  in  many 
ways,  and  when  one  takes  a  venture  he  is  certain 
to  be  copied  by  others. 

From  all  sides  they  were  thus  closing  in  rapidly 
on  the  hobo  who  was  at  bay,  and  every  fellow  was 
giving  vent  to  his  excitement  in  shouts  and  screeches 
calculated  to  complete  the  collapse  of  the  tramp's 
defiance. 

He  knew  when  he  had  had  enough.  Serious 
though  arrest  might  appear  to  him  under  the  pres- 
ent conditions,  it  would  be  a  dozen  fold  worse 
should  he  fire  that  weapon  of  his  again,  and  suc- 
ceed in  injuring  one  of  these  brave  lads.  Besides, 
he  must  have  been  more  or  less  influenced  by  the 
handy  way  they  carried  those  guns. 

This  being  the  case,  the  tramp  at  bay  suddenly 
threw  up  both  his  hands,  at  the  same  time  bawling : 

"Hey!  don't  shoot;  I'm  all  in,  gents;  I  surren- 
der!" 

The  furious  shouts  now  ceased,  since  the  object 
of  their  rush  had  apparently  been  accomplished. 
Thad,  however,  was  too  smart  a  leader  to  lose  any 
advantage  that  fortune  had  placed  in  his  hands. 

"Throw  out  that  gun!"  he  called  in  his  sternest 
voice;  "and  be  quick  about  it,  if  you  know  what's 
good  for  you !" 

The  man  hastened  to  obey  the  order.  No  doubt 
he  understood  that  his  captors  were  only  boys;  but 
there  may  be  circumstances  where  cubs  are  just 
as  dangerous  as  full-grown  men;  and  this  is  the 


220  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

case  when  they  happen  to  be  provided  with  fire- 
arms. 

"Come  out  here,  and  keep  your  hands  up!"  con- 
tinued the  patrol  leader,  who  did  not  trust  the  fel- 
low, and  while  speaking  he  kept  his  gun  leveled  so 
that  it  bore  straight  upon  him. 

The  hobo  looked  disgusted,  as  well  he  might  at 
finding  himself  a  victim  to  such  humiliating  condi- 
tions, with  boys  his  captors.  He  scowled  darkly  as 
he  left  the  partial  shelter  of  the  rocks,  and  advanced 
several  paces  toward  the  scouts. 

"That'll  do,"  Thad  told  him;  "now  lie  down  on 
the  sand  on  your  face,  and  put  your  hands  behind 
you.  We've  got  to  tie  your  wrists,  you  understand. 
Here,  don't  think  to  play  any  trick,  because  we 
won't  stand  for  it !  Down  on  your  knees,  and  over 
you  go!" 

Realizing  that  such  a  young  chap  was  not  to  be 
trifled  with,  the  tramp,  muttering  to  himself,  did  as 
he  was  ordered.  Lying  there  on  his  chest  he  pushed 
both  hands  behind  his  back,  and  crossed  his  wrists, 
just  as  though  this  might  not  be  the  first  time  he 
had  run  up  against  a  similar  situation. 

"Giraffe,  you  fix  him  up !"  said  the  patrol  leader, 
for  the  lengthy  scout  had  a  reputation  as  an  expert 
in  tying  hard  knots,  and  was  never  known  to  be 
without  more  or  less  stout  cord  on  his  person. 

It  had  come  in  handy  many  a  time  in  the  past, 
as  Giraffe  could  explain  if  asked,  and  he  produced 
his  coil  now  with  a  satisfied  grin  that  told  how  much 
he  enjoyed  his  new  job. 

After  Giraffe  had  completed  the  fastening  of  the 
hobo's  big  wrists,  there  was  not  one  chance  in  a 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         221 

thousand  the  fellow  could  free  himself,  even  if  he 
were  a  second  Houdini,  capable  of  slipping  hand- 
cuffs from  his  person  by  doubling  up  his  pliable 
hands. 

This  done,  Giraffe  got  up,  and  helped  the  man  rise 
to  his  feet. 

"Behave  yourself  now,  and  we'll  treat  you  white/' 
he  told  him;  "but  just  try  to  make  trouble,  and  see 
what  you  get,  that's  all.  But,  Thad,  where  d'ye 
reckon  his  pal  has  disappeared  to,  that  he  ain't 
around  here?  We  covered  every  foot  of  the  island 
from  the  other  end,  and  didn't  scare  him  up.  Half 
a  loaf  may  be  better  than  no  bread,  but  we  didn't 
come  after  this  fellow  at  all.  We  want  Wandering 
George,  and  we  want  him  bad." 

Thad  himself  was  bothered  to  tell  how  the  sec- 
ond tramp  had  disappeared.  If  the  ground  had 
opened  and  swallowed  him  he  could  not  have  van- 
ished more  completely;  and  apparently  there  was 
only  one  source  of  information  open  to  them.  This 
was  the  prisoner,  who  stood  there,  listening  to  what 
they  were  saying,  and  trying  hard  to  conceal  a  grin 
that  would  creep  over  his  face  in  spite  of  him. 
That  very  cunning  expression  convinced  Thad  the 
man  knew  the  important  fact  they  wanted  to  find 
out,  if  only  they  could  force  him  to  speak. 


222  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

FORCED  TO  TELL. 

"WHERE'S  your  partner?"  asked  Thad,  turning 
suddenly  on  the  prisoner. 

The  tramp  tried  to  look  at  him  as  if  in  surprise. 
Undoubtedly  he  was  hugging  the  one  hope-  to  his 
heart  that  as  long  as  his  companion  remained  foot- 
free  there  might  be  a  chance  for  his  release.  That 
idea  of  self-interest  was  undoubtedly  the  only  thing 
that  would  account  for  his  desire  to  remain  mute. 

"My  partner?"  he  went  on  to  say,  as  though  not 
understanding  what  was  meant. 

"Yes,  the  man  who  was  with  you,  Wandering 
George,  the  fellow  who  wore  the  blue  army  over- 
coat that  was  given  to  him  by  a  lady  in  Cranford 
a  few  days  ago?" 

"Oh !  you  mean  him,  does  you?"  the  hobo  replied, 
with  a  knowing  nod;  "that  guy  gimme  the  slip 
yesterday,  and  never  divvied  with  me  either.  I'd 
like  right  well  to  set  eyes  on  George  myself,  and 
that's  no  lie.  I  got  a  bone  tuh  pick  with  him." 

"You're  telling  what  isn't  true,  now,"  said  Thad 
severely.  "We  happen  to  know  that  you  two  came 
here  in  the  hold  of  the  shanty  boat  we  were  on. 
Last  night  George  crept  into  our  camp,  and  got 
away  with  nearly  all  our  food  stuff.  There's  a 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         223 

piece  of  the  bacon  right  now,  Giraffe,  which  ought 
to  p!ease  you  some.  What  have  you  got  to  say 
about  that,  Mr.  Tramp?" 

"It  was  me  sneaked  your  camp,  kid;  I  was  nigh 
starved  out,  and  nawthin'  couldn't  keep  me  from 
takin'  chances,"  the  other  boldly  replied. 

"Tell  that  to  the  marines!"  Giraffe  blurted  out. 
"Thad,  you  don't  believe  him,  do  you?  We  know 
better  than  that,  don't  we?" 

"The  man  who  crept  into  our  camp  had  a  rag 
tied  around  his  right  foot  to  keep  the  torn  sole  of 
his  shoe  on,"  Thad  went  on  to  say  positively,  as 
though  clinching  matters  beyond  all  question ;  "and 
we  can  see  that  both  your  shoes  are  fairly  decent, 
so  it  couldn't  have  been  you.  Besides,  there  were 
two  pairs  of  tracks  making  the  trail.  You  waited 
for  him  back  of  the  bushes,  and  both  went  off  to- 
gether. Now,  you  see  how  foolish  it  is  trying  to 
yarn  out  of  it.  Where  is  George?" 

The  man  looked  into  that  flushed  but  determined 
face.  He  saw  something  in  those  steady  eyes  that 
convinced  him  the  leader  of  these  boys  in  khaki  was 
not  the  one  to  be  further  trifled  with. 

So  he  gave  a  nervous  little  laugh. 

"Well,  you  sure  got  me  twisted  up,  and  kinked 
tuh  beat  the  band,  kid,"  he  said.  "I  got  a  pal,  jest 
as  you  sez,  an'  his  handle  is  George.  But  jest 
where  he  might  be  at  this  minit  is  more'n  I  c'n  say." 

"But  he's  on  the  island,  isn't  he?"  demanded  Step 
Hen. 

"He  shore  is,  'less  he's  took  a  crazy  notion  to  try 
an'  swim  over  tuh  the  shore,  which  wouldn't  be 
like  cautious  George  a  bit" 


224  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

"He  was  here  with  you,  how  long  ago?"  asked 
Allan;  "you  must  have  cooked  breakfast  this  morn- 
ing with  that  fire,  and  he  sat  right  here,  where  I 
can  see  the  mark  of  his  broken  shoe.  Where  did 
he  go,  and  when  ?" 

"That's  what  we  want  to  know!"  added  Giraffe 
sternly. 

The  tramp  saw  that  he  was  cornered.  One  by 
one  his  defenses  had  been  beaten  down.  These 
energetic  boys  would  not  stand  for  any  further 
holding  back  on  his  part;  and  unless  he  wished  to 
invite  rough  treatment  it  was  now  up  to  him  to  tell 
all  he  knew. 

"Well,  George  was  sittin'  there,  as  you  sez, 
younker,  an'  he  takes  a  sudden  notion  that  he  wants 
tuh  find  out  what  the  rest  o'  the  folks  of  this  island 
'spected  to  do  so's  tuh  get  away.  That  bein'  the 
case,  he  sez  to  me,  sez  he:  T  reckons  I'll  stroll  up 
a  ways,  and  take  a  look  around.  If  there's  any- 
thing doin'  in  the  boat  line  we  might  want  tuh  cop 
it,  and  clear  out.'  And  so  he  goes  off,  an'  I  ain't 
seen  the  first  sign  o'  George  since  then." 

"How  long  ago  might  that  have  been?"  asked 
Thad. 

"I  been  asleep  nearly  all  the  time  since,  so  how 
could  I  tell?"  came  the  reply. 

"By  looking  at  the  sun,"  the  patrol  leader  told 
him ;  "you  know  how  high  it  was  when  George  went 
away.  And  hoboes  never  have  any  need  of  a 
watch." 

"  'Cept  to  hock,  and  get  cash  on  the  same,  kid," 
the  man  remarked,  with  a  grin,  at  the  same  time 
casting  a  quick  glance  upward;  "well,  I  reckon  it 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         225 

might  V  been  all  o'  an  hour  back  when  George, 
he  passed  away." 

The  boys  looked  at  each  other  in  some  perplexity. 
Since  they  had  certainly  covered  the  whole  island, 
they  could  not  understand  how  it  came  they  had 
missed  the  other  tramp.  He  was  a  big  fellow,  and 
could  not  have  hidden  in  any  hole  among  the  rocks 
that  they  had  noticed.  The  mystery  bothered  them, 
from  Thad  down  to  Step  Hen  and  Davy. 

"What  if  he  did  take  a  notion  to  try  and  swim 
for  it  ?"  suggested  the  latter,  as  Giraffe  was  scratch- 
ing his  head,  and  looking  in  a  helpless  fashion  at 
Thad. 

"Not  one  chance  in  a  thousand  that  way,"  re- 
plied the  patrol  leader;  "I  call  myself  a  fairly  good 
swimmer,  but  I'd  hate  to  take  the  chances  of  that 
current,  and  the  rocks  under  the  surface.  No,  he 
must  be  on  the  island  still." 

"But  whereabouts,  Thad;  didn't  we  cover  the 
ground,  every  foot  of  it,  while  we  came  down 
here?"  pleaded  Step  Hen. 

"I  wonder,  now?"  Thad  was  saying  half  aloud, 
as  though  a  sudden  inspiration  had  broken  in  upon 
him. 

"What  is  it,  Thad?"  begged  Giraffe;  "sounds  like 
you've  got  an  idea,  all  right.  Let's  hear  it,  won't 
you?" 

"There's  only  one  way  we  could  have  missed 
him,"  replied  the  other;  "and  that  would  mean  he 
hid  in  a  tree." 

There  arose  a  series  of  exclamations  from  the 
other  scouts. 

"Well,  what  d'ye  think  of  that,  now?"  cried  Gi- 


226  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

raffe,  apparently  taken  aback  by  the  suggestion; 
"we  kept  our  noses  turned  to  the  ground  so  much 
none  of  us  ever  bothered  looking  up,  did  we?" 

"But,  Thad,  the  leaves  ain't  on  the  trees  yet,  so 
how  could  he  hide  from  us?  Do  you  mean  he  got 
behind  a  big  limb,  and  lay  there  like  a  squirrel?" 
Davy  demanded. 

"You  forget  there  are  some  hemlocks  on  the 
island,  and  every  one  of  us  knows  how  easy  it 
would  be  for  a  fellow  to  hide  in  their  bushy  tops 
any  time  of  year,"  Thad  told  him. 

"What's  the  answer?"  snapped  Giraffe,  always 
wanting  action,  and  then  more  action. 

"We've  got  to  go  back  again,  and  find  him,  that's 
all,"  said  Thad,  with  a  look  of  grim  determination 
on  his  face. 

"How  about  this  fellow?"  remarked  Allan.  "Do 
we  want  to  trot  him  along  with  us?"  and  he  jerked 
his  thumb  at  the  prisoner  as  he  said  this. 

Thad  considered  for  a  short  time. 

"That  would  be  poor  business,  I'm  thinking,"  he 
concluded.  "We'd  better  leave  him  here  until  we 
want  him  again." 

"I've  got  more  strong  cord,"  Giraffe  suggested; 
"and  we  could  tie  him  to  a  tree,  like  the  Injuns 
used  to  do  with  their  captives." 

"Oh !  there  ain't  any  need  tuh  do  that,  boys,"  ar- 
gued the  hobo,  who  apparently  did  not  fancy  such 
an  arrangement.  "I'll  set  right  here,  and  never 
move  while  you're  gone,  sure  I  will." 

"We'll  make  certain  that  you  stay  where  we  leave 
you,"  Thad  told  him. 

Giraffe  only  waited   for  the  word,  and  imme- 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         227 

diately  backed  the  tramp  to  a  tree  that  seemed  suited 
for  the  purpose.  Then  he  wound  the  cord  around 
as  many  times  as  it  would  go,  and  tied  it  in  hard 
knots.  As  the  hobo  still  had  his  hands  fastened 
behind  him,  and  could  not  begin  to  get  at  the  knots 
with  his  teeth,  it  looked  as  though  he  would  have 
to  stay  there  until  the  scouts  were  pleased  to  release 
him. 

"Now  what,  Thad?"  asked  the  energetic  Giraffe, 
picking  up  his  gun  again. 

"Go  back  the  same  way  we  came,"  the  other  re- 
plied. 

"Covering  the  ground,  you  mean,  only  this  time 
we'll  look  into  every  tree  in  the  bargain;  that's  the 
programme,  is  it,  Thad?"  asked  Step  Hen. 

"Yes." 

Again  the  boys  began  to  spread  out,  and  in  this 
manner  was  the  captured  tramp  left  behind.  He 
realized  that  it  was  useless  trying  to  influence  them 
to  change  their  minds,  and  so  resigned  himself  to 
his  fate. 

Giraffe  had  secured  the  remains  of  the  strip  of 
bacon,  and  was  dangling  this  from  his  left  hand  as 
he  went  along.  Apparently  he  did  not  mean  to  take 
any  chances  of  it  getting  away  from  him  again; 
and  of  course  Bob  White  noted  his  action  with  a 
nod  of  appreciation. 

It  was  slow  work  now,  because  they  had  to  in- 
vestigate each  likely  tree  that  was  approached. 
Some  of  these  were  of  a  type  calculated  to  afford 
a  refuge  for  anyone  who  wished  to  hide.  Several 
times  one  of  the  boys,  usually  the  spry  Davy,  was 


228  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

sent  aloft  to  make  sure  the  object  of  their  search 
was  not  hiding  there. 

Thad  began  to  wonder  if  anything  could  have 
happened  at  their  camp.  He  remembered  that  they 
had  left  the  two  weakest  scouts  on  guard,  and  this 
worried  him. 

Often  as  he  pushed  on,  Thad  had  strained  his 
hearing,  dreading  at  the  same  time  lest  he  catch 
sounds  of  serious  import.  But  beyond  the  chatter 
of  the  crows  that  flew  scolding  ahead  of  them,  and 
the  scream  of  an  early  red-headed  woodpecker  tap- 
ping at  a  rotten  tree  trunk,  there  was  no  sound,  un- 
less he  took  into  consideration  the  fretting  of  the 
water  sweeping  past  outlying  spurs  of  the  island 
shore. 

They  had  passed  nearly  halfway  when  Giraffe 
beckoned  to  the  leader,  without  saying  a  single 
word,  upon  which  Thad  of  course  hastened  toward 
him. 

When  the  lanky  scout  pointed  to  the  ground, 
Thad  immediately  turned  his  eyes  in  that  quarter. 
He  was  not  very  much  surprised  at  discovering  the 
plain  imprint  of  a  shoe  there  in  the  soil. 

"George  made  it,"  said  Giraffe  solemnly,  "be- 
cause there's  that  old  rag  tied  about  his  foot,  as 
we've  always  found  it.  And,  Thad,  of  course  you 
notice  that  he  was  heading  up  country  when  he 
passed  by  here?" 

"Yes,  that's  certainly  a  fact,  Giraffe." 

"Showing  he  came  down  out  of  his  tree,  and  went 
on  after  we  passed  him.  Davy  was  right  when  he 
said  he  believed  he  could  see  signs  in  that  last  hem- 
lock as  if  some  one  had  broken  the  bark  with  his 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         229 

heels.  It  was  Wandering  George,  all  right;  and 
this  time  we've  got  him  ahead  of  us.  We'll  not  let 
him  give  us  the  slip  again;  and  it'll  be  something 
of  a  joke  to  get  a  tramp  at  each  end  of  the  island. 
But  what  are  you  thinking  about,  Thad,  to  look  so 
serious  ?" 

"I  was  wondering  whether  anything  could  have 
happened  to  our  two  chums,  Giraffe." 

"Oh!  you  must  mean  Bumpus  and  Smithy!"  ejac- 
ulated the  lanky  scout,  with  a  quick  intake  of  his 
breath,  as  though  a  thrill  had  passed  over  him  at 
the  same  time;  "but,  Thad,  they  had  a  gun,  you 
remember;  and  if  they  kept  on  the  watch,  as  you 
told  'em,  what  could  happen  to  hurt  the  boys?" 

"I  don't  know,  only  it  bothers  me,"  replied  the 
other;  "and  if  we  can  hurry  on  any  faster  now  I'd 
like  to  do  it." 

The  word  was  passed  along  the  line,  and  after 
that  they  tried  to  increase  their  speed,  though  try- 
ing not  to  neglect  their  work,  if  it  could  be  avoided. 

As  they  drew  closer  to  the  region  where  the  camp 
had  been  made,  Thad  was  conscious  of  feeling  a 
strange  sensation  in  the  region  of  his  heart,  which 
he  could  not  wholly  understand. 

Giraffe  made  out  to  wander  close  to  him  on  occa- 
sion, and  was  at  this  time  saying  with  more  or  less 
confidence : 

"Only  a  few  minutes  more,  Thad,  and  we  ought 
to  raise  the  camp.  Sure  we'll  find  everything 
lovely,  and  the  goose  hanging  high.  George  would 
know  better  than  to  bother  two  fellows,  and  one 
of  the  same  handling  a  gun  in  the  bargain.  Course 
he  sheered  off,  and  gave  them  a  wide  berth  when 


230 


THE  BOY  SCOUTS 


he  saw  that,  Thad.    It's  going  to  come  out  all  right, 
I  tell  you!" 

Nevertheless  the  patrol  leader  felt  very  anxious 
as  they  drew  near  the  camp,  and  he  tried  to  pre- 
pare himself  for  the  worst. 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         231 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

THE  KEEPERS  OF  THE  CAMP. 

WHEN  Bumpus  and  Smithy  saw  their  comrades 
pass  away  toward  the  north,  leaving  the  camp  in 
their  full  charge,  they  were  immediately  impressed 
with  a  sense  of  great  responsibility. 

The  stout  scout  in  particular  seemed  to  feel  that 
it  was  a  post  of  honor  to  which  they  had  been  as- 
signed by  the  patrol  leader.  Of  course  this  was 
partly  due  to  what  Thad  had  told  him  at  the  time 
he  picked  out  the  pair  to  remain  behind  and  take 
care  of  their  few  possessions. 

"We've  got  to  be  faithful  and  wide  awake, 
Smithy,"  Bumpus  told  his  comrade;  "for  it'd  be 
a  terrible  calamity  if  the  boys  came  back  here,  tired 
and  played  out,  only  to  find  that  the  enemy  had 
captured  the  camp  in  their  absence.  And  let  me 
tell  you,  that  would  reflect  on  you  and  me  forever 
and  a  day  afterward.  You  know  that  Thad  expects 
every  fellow  to  do  his  duty.  So  we'll  keep  on  the 
watch  every  minute  of  the  time  till  they  come  back 
again." 

Smithy  appeared  to  be  duly  impressed  with  the 
gravity  of  the  occasion.  Bumpus  of  course  made 
sure  to  carry  the  only  weapon  that  had  been  left 
in  their  charge ;  but  as  it  was  his  gun,  and  he  knew 


232  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

more  about  handling  it  than  Smithy  did,  it  seemed 
only  right  that  this  should  be  so.  But  the  other 
member  of  the  home  guard  had  seen  some  of  the 
boys  who  went  off  arming  themselves  with  stout 
cudgels,  and  he  thought  it  wise  to  imitate  their 
example,  though  at  the  same  time  seriously  doubt- 
ing his  ability  to  make  good  use  of  the  same,  should 
an  emergency  arise. 

"Yes,  what  you  say  is  true,  Bumpus,"  he  re- 
marked seriously.  "The  motto  of  all  good  scouts 
is  'Be  prepared,'  and  we  must  surely  live  up  to  it. 
While  I  sincerely  hope  nothing  will  happen  to  call 
for  a  defense  of  the  camp,  still  I'm  ready  to  assume 
my  share  of  the  burden  in  case  of  necessity." 

Now,  Smithy  always  liked  to  use  long  words, 
and  his  manner  was  something  like  that  of  an  im- 
portant pedagogue;  but  the  boys  had  learned  that 
under  all  this  surface  veneering  Smithy  was  true 
gold,  and,  as  Giraffe  said,  "O.  K." 

He  had  never  been  the  one  to  indulge  in  uugh- 
and-tumble  "horse  play"  while  in  camp,  like  Gi- 
raffe, Step  Hen  and  Davy,  for  instance;  but  on  sev- 
eral occasions  the  others  had  seen  his  metal  tested, 
and  Smithy  had  come  out  with  flying  colors. 

His  face  might  get  white  when  danger  impended, 
but  he  had  the  right  kind  of  nerve,  and  would  stand 
up  for  another,  no  matter  what  threatened.  Smithy 
was  exceedingly  modest,  and  always  apologizing  for 
his  lack  of  stamina ;  but  Thad  knew  he  was  no  cow- 
ard under  it  all. 

The  minutes  passed  slowly  as  the  two  boys  sat 
there  by  the  cheery  fire.  Naturally  they  kept  listen- 
ing eagerly,  half  expecting  to  hear  some  sudden  wild 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         233 

<lamor  that  would  announce  the  discovery  of  the 
tramps,  and  a  desperate  effort  on  the  part  of  their 
-chums  to  make  them  prisoners. 

They  remembered  that  these  men  were  both  big 
fellows,  and  undoubtedly  more  or  less  to  be  feared, 
especially  when  their  passions  were  aroused. 

"Don't  seem  to  be  anything  doing  so  far,"  Bum- 
pus  remarked,  as  he  poked  the  fire,  and  immediately 
.afterward  raised  his  head,  as  well  as  his  fat  neck 
would  allow,  the  better  to  listen  intently. 

"And  you'd  think  they'd  had  sufficient  time  to 
reach  the  upper  end  of  the  island,  too?"  Smithy 
went  on  to  say  reflectively. 

"Oh!  well,  the  real  drive  only  begins  then,  you 
see,"  Bumpus  informed  him,  with  rather  an  im- 
portant air.  "Thad  said  they  meant  to  strike 
straight  for  the  place  where  we  landed,  and  then 
comb  the  ground  as  they  came  along.  I  don't  just 
know  what  he  meant  by  that  same  word,  but  it 
sounds  good  to  me.  When  you  comb  a  thing  you 
get  everything  out,  even  the  tangles;  and  if  the 
tramps  are  hiding  somewhere  on  the  island  they'll 
be  found." 

"Trust  Thad  for  that,"  assented  Smithy,  who  had 
the  greatest  admiration  for  and  confidence  in  the 
scout  master. 

"What  was  that  moved  then?"  exclaimed  Bum- 
pus,  reaching  out,  and  taking  hold  of  his  gun  with 
hands  that  trembled  more  or  less,  though  at  the 
same  time  his  teeth  were  grimly  set,  and  his  eyes 
shone  with  determination.  "Sho!"  he  added,  after 
a  half  minute  of  terrible  suspense,  "look  at  that, 
will  you,  only  a  sassy  little  striped  chipmunk,  after 


234  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

all,  frisking  around  to  see  if  we  hadn't  spilled  some 
crumbs  when  we  had  our  breakfast.  But  I'm  afraid 
he'll  be  badly  disappointed,  because  there  ain't  any 
crumbs  when  you've  only  had  grits  for  your  morn- 
ing meal." 

After  that  they  sat  there  for  some  little  time 
with  senses  on  the  alert,  waiting  for  some  sign 
from  the  chums  who  had  recently  left  them. 

"One  thing  sure,"  Bumpus  finally  remarked, 
showing  what  was  constantly  on  his  mind ;  "they've 
just  got  to  pass  by  this  way  sooner  or  later.  Course 
we'll  see  'em  then;  and  so  don't  be  surprised  if  the 
brush  begins  to  move  over  yonder,  because  it'll  be 
one  of  our  chums." 

"But  wouldn't  it  be  the  proper  caper  for  them 
to  warn  us  before  they  show  up?"  asked  Smithy. 
"They  know  you've  got  a  gun,  and  that's  always  a 
dangerous  toy  for  a  boy  to  handle,  according  to  my 
way  of  thinking.  Why,  you  might  imagine  they 
were  the  tramps,  and  give  them  a  shot  before  you 
saw  they  were  our  chums." 

"Listen!"  said  Bumpus,  with  a  broad  grin. 

There  came  from  amidst  the  thick  brush  a  pe- 
culiar sound  that  was  supposed  to  resemble  the 
barking  of  a  fox.  Of  course  both  guards  recog- 
nized it  as  the  well-known  signal  with  which  mem- 
bers of  the  Silver  Fox  Patrol  made  their  presence 
known  to  one  another  when  in  the  forest,  or  in  the 
darkness  of  night. 

"Answer  him,  Bumpus,"  exclaimed  Smithy,  "be- 
cause you  can  do  it  better  than  I've  ever  been  able 
to.  There  he  goes  again,  and  louder  than  before. 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         235 

It  must  be  Giraffe,  I  should  think.  Let  him  know 
we  hear  him,  Bumpus." 

Accordingly  the  stout  boy  did  his  very  best  to 
imitate  the  sharp  little  bark  of  a  fox;  it  did  not 
matter  whether  red,  black  or  gray,  so  long  as  the 
sound  carried  out  the  idea  intended. 

At  that  a  head  arose  above  a  line  of  brush,  and 
the  smiling  face  of  Giraffe  was  discovered.  IJe 
made  a  motion  with  his  hand  to  indicate  that  he 
and  his  five  fellow  scouts  were  headed  south. 

"No  signs  of  'em  so  far,  Giraffe?"  asked  Bum- 
pus,  in  a  cautious  tone;  and  in  answer  the  other 
shook  his  head  in  the  negative,  after  which  he  once 
more  dropped  out  of  sight,  and  doubtless  moved 
away  on  his  mission. 

The  pair  by  the  fire  now  prepared  for  quite  a 
long  siege.  They  guessed  that  it  would  take  the 
others  quite  some  time  to  cover  the  balance  of  the 
island,  although  of  course  no  one  in  the  patrol 
knew  as  yet  just  what  the  dimensions  of  their 
strange  prison  might  be. 

"Supposing  they  run  across  George  and  his  com- 
panion, will  they  let  us  know  of  their  good  for- 
tune?" Smithy  asked,  after  a  while,  when  nothing 
came  to  their  ears  save  the  sound  of  the  running 
river  and  the  cawing  of  the  noisy  crow  band  in  the 
tree  tops. 

"Why,  yes,"  Bumpus  told  him,  "Thad  promised 
to  send  the  news  along  if  they  were  successful,  and 
bagged  both  hoboes.  I  keep  hoping  every  minute 
to  get  the  call.  You  know,  Smithy,  lots  of  savage 
people  have  a  way  of  sending  news  by  sound,  and 
by  smoke,  from  one  station  to  another.  They  say 


236  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

in  Africa  they  can  get  word  over  hundreds  of  miles 
in  less'n  no  time.  I'm  a  great  believer  in  that  sort 
of  wireless  telegraphy." 

"Yes,"  remarked  Smithy,  with  something  ap- 
proaching humor,  at  least  as  near  as  he  ever  was 
known  to  get  to  the  joking  stage,  "I've  noticed  that, 
when  you  start  to  shouting  for  your  supper,  because 
you  can  make  the  greatest  racket  going.  But  all  the 
same  this  thing  of  keeping  camp  while  the  rest  of 
the  boys  are  on  the  move  is  rather  prosy,  I  think." 

"Why,  Thad  assured  me  that  any  kind  of  a  fel- 
low could  just  push  through  all  that  scramble  of 
brush;  but  it  takes  a  different  sort  to  be  trusted 
with  the  responsible  task  of  guarding  the  home  base. 
He  begged  me  not  to  think  it  meant  any  reflection 
on  our  abilities,  Smithy.  Yes,  he  even  called  us  the 
hub  of  the  wheel,  of  which  each  of  the  others  was 
only  a  spoke." 

That  information  rather  bolstered  up  Smithy's 
drooping  spirits  for  a  little  while;  but  the  solemn 
stillness  that  surrounded  them  on  all  sides  soon  be- 
gan to  make  him  drowsy  again. 

He  had  not  secured  his  customary  sleep  latterly, 
and  the  warmth  of  the  fire  assisted  in  causing  his 
eyes  to  become  heavy. 

Bumpus  noticed  this.  Several  times  he  talked  to 
his  companion,  with  the  sole  idea  of  keeping  Smithy 
on  the  alert ;  but  in  the  end  he  found  that  it  did  not 
seem  to  avail  to  any  extent,  for  the  replies  he  re- 
ceived were  inclined  to  be  hazy,  as  if  the  brain  of 
the  other  had  begun  to  yield  to  that  drowsy  feeling. 

"Oh!  well,"  Bumpus  told  himself,  "what's  the 
use  bothering  the  poor  tenderfoot?  Smithy  isn't 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         237 

used  to  this,  even  if  he  is  a  pretty  good  fellow.  He's 
still  mamma's  darling  boy  more  or  less,  and  not 
accustomed  to  roughing  it,  like  the  rest  of  us.  He'll 
learn  in  time,  I  reckon.  Fortunately  there's  no 
danger  of  me  failing  to  stand  the  great  test.  Huh! 
I've  been  through  the  mill,  I  have,  and  proven  my 
worth  more'n  once." 

All  the  same  it  seemed  that  despite  his  brave 
words  Bumpus  also  felt  his  eyes  growing  heavy 
before  long.  Once  he  even  aroused  with  a  start, 
as  his  head  fell  forward  with  a  lurch,  giving  him  a 
little  twinge  in  his  neck. 

"Here,  this  won't  do,  Bumpus  Hawtree !"  he  told 
himself  severely;  "you  just  get  busy,  and  show  what 
a  loyal,  faithful  scout  you  are.  Want  Thad  to  drop 
in  here,  and  find  you  sound  asleep  on  your  post,  do 
you  ?  Well,  that  would  be  a  nice  pickle,  believe  me. 
Smithy  is  only  a  poor  tenderfoot  at  best,  and  not  a 
seasoned  veteran.  He  might  be  excused,  but  what 
would  happen  to  you,  tell  me  that?" 

The  idea  seemed  so  monstrous  that  Bumpus  im- 
mediately scrambled  to  his  feet,  although  his  ac- 
tions did  not  seem  to  interfere  at  all  with  the  peace- 
ful dreams  of  the  sleeping  scout.  Smithy  still  sat 
there,  with  his  head  bowed  down  on  his  breast,  and 
no  doubt  resting  under  the  happy  belief  that  he 
was  once  more  safe  at  home,  after  all  this  trying 
flight  along  the  flood-swept  valley  of  the  Susque- 
hanna. 

Bumpus  walked  away. 

He  thought  he  would  feel  more  wide-awake  if 
he  gave  that  fire  the  cold  shoulder,  and  exercised 
his  benumbed  limbs  some.  He  took  his  gun,  of 


238  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

course,  for  Bumpus  had  learned  a  certain  degree 
of  caution  through  his  former  experiences;  and  it 
turned  out  to  be  a  most  fortunate  thing  he  had  that 
sagacity. 

After  walking  about  for  a  little  while  Bumpus 
settled  down  alongside  a  tree,  and  once  more  al- 
lowed himself  to  think  of  a  number  of  events  con- 
nected with  the  past,  as  well  as  his  pleasant  home, 
now  so  far  away. 

He  was  aroused  by  what  seemed  to  be  the  crack- 
ling of  a  twig.  This  startled  him,  because  his  scout 
training  declared  that  such  a  sound  must  always  be 
accounted  exceedingly  suggestive. 

Bumpus  silently  arose  to  his  knees,  and,  gripping 
his  gun  tightly  in  his  fat  hands,  looked  all  around 
him.  A  slight  movement  caught  his  attention.  It 
was  directly  toward  the  fire  that  he  looked,  and 
what  he  saw  thrilled  him  through  and  through. 

A  man  was  actually  creeping  forward  on  hands 
and  knees,  stealing  along  with  a  manner  suggestive 
of  a  cat.  Bumpus  did  not  need  to  note  the  fact  that 
this  party  was  wearing  a  blue  army  overcoat,  now 
muddy,  and  rather  forlorn-looking,  to  realize  that 
it  could  be  no  other  than  the  long-lost  Wandering 
George,  the  tramp  whom  they  had  trailed  all  the 
way  from  far-distant  Scranton. 

That  he  had  some  evil  design  in  approaching  the 
camp  so  secretly  there  could  be  no  possible  doubt. 
Smithy  was  still  dozing  there,  and  would  fall  an 
easy  prey  to  the  scheming  tramp,  unless  some  com- 
rade came  boldly  to  the  rescue.  So  Bumpus  drew 
in  a  long  breath,  clinched  his  teeth,  and  rising  to 
his  feet  moved  forward. 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         239 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

HEADED  FOR  HOME CONCLUSION. 

"JusT  hold  on  there,  George;  you're  under  ar- 
rest!" Bumpus  called  out;  and  if  his  voice  hap- 
pened to  be  a  trifle  shaky,  the  fact  did  not  seem  to 
interfere  with  the  clever  way  in  which  he  swung 
that  gun  up,  so  as  to  cover  the  tramp. 

Smithy  awoke,  and  was  stunned  at  what  he  saw. 
He  sat  there,  turning  his  head,  to  stare  first  at  the 
figure  clothed  in  the  blue  army  coat,  and  then  at 
his  comrade,  seen  just  topping  the  bushes,  and  look- 
ing so  like  he  meant  business  Smithy  would  long 
remember  that  fine  sight. 

The  hobo  knew  he  was  caught.  Guns  had  a  very 
persuasive  way  with  George,  and  he  had  learned 
long  ago  to  fight  shy  of  all  farmhouses  where  it  was 
known  the  owner  possessed  firearms. 

"Don't  shoot,  young  feller !"  he  immediately  bel- 
lowed, with  astonishing  energy;  "I  ain't  goin'  ter 
try  an'  git  away.  Say,  I  was  jest  a-wantin'  ter 
surrender,  so's  ter  git  off'n  this  island.  I  ain't  never 
yet  starved  ter  death,  an'  I  don't  wanter  try  the 
same.  I'm  a  prisoner  o'  war,  an'  ye  wouldn't  be  so 
mean's  as  ter  pepper  a  harmless  man,  I  hopes,  Boy?" 

Bumpus  proceeded  to  advance,  all  the  while  keep- 
ing that  menacing  gun  leveled.  He  had  had  a  previ- 
ous experience  in  capturing  a  supposed-to-be  des- 


240  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

perate  rascal,  and  felt  that  he  must  be  cautious  in 
how  he  handled  matters. 

"Smithy,  is  there  a  piece  of  that  rope  handy?"  he 
demanded;  and  the  other  scout  after  a  hasty  look 
around  made  an  affirmative  reply. 

"There  certainly  is,  Bumpus,  and  it  seems  to  be 
a  good  strong  piece,  too,"  he  went  on  to  say. 
"Please  tell  me  what  you  want  me  to  do  with  it.  I 
know  how  to  tie  all  sorts  of  perfectly  splendid 
knots;  if  only  the  wretch  won't  seize  hold  of  me, 
and  make  use  of  me  as  a  shield.  They're  all  so 
very  treacherous,  you  know,  Bumpus." 

"Sure,  I  understand  that,  Smithy,"  he  was  told, 
"but  I'm  up  to  a  trick  or  two  on  my  own  hook. 
Here,  you  George,  just  drop  down  on  your  mar- 
row bones — that  means  get  on  your  knees." 

The  tramp  looked  anything  but  happy,  but  when 
he  hesitated  Bumpus  swung  his  gun  up  again,  and 
it  could  be  easily  seen  that  he  was  ready  for  busi- 
ness. So  George  immediately  dropped  down  on  his 
knees,  with  his  hands  still  raised  in  a  really  gro- 
tesque fashion  above  his  head. 

"Now,  I  don't  mean  to  ask  you  to  say  your 
prayers,  because  I  reckon  you  never  learned  any," 
Bumpus  proceeded  briskly;  "but  continue  the  for- 
ward movement.  In  other  words,  fall  flat  on  your 
face,  and  stretch  out  there,  with  your  nose  rooting 
in  the  ground.  No  back  talk  now,  but  do  what 
you're  told !" 

George  did  so.  He  evidently  knew  better  than 
to  refuse  so  modest  a  request,  especially  while' 
threatened  with  a  load  of  shot  at  close  quarters. 

Then  Bumpus  advanced  close  up. 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         24X 

"Smithy,"  he  said,  with  a  grand  air,  as  became 
a  conqueror,  "use  your  rope,  and  tie  his  wrists  be- 
hind his  back.  If  there's  enough  left,  give  a  turn 
around  his  ankles,  will  you,  please  ?  And  whatever 
you  do,  let  it  be  thorough.  That's  what  scouts  are 
taught  to  always  be,  you  know." 

Under  the  immediate  eye  of  Bumpus  the  tramp 
was  triced  up,  after  which  the  two  boys  dragged  him 
behind  a  screen  of  bushes.  Bumpus  was  in  constant 
apprehension  lest  the  second  hobo  appear  on  the 
scene,  and  managed  to  keep  his  eyes  turned  this  way 
and  that  as  the  minutes  passed  on. 

It  seemed  as  though  the  morning  must  be  wear- 
ing away  when  finally  the  barking  of  a  fox,  so  ex- 
cellently done  that  it  would  have  deceived  an  old 
hunter,  announced  the  near  presence  of  Allan  and 
Thad,  and  likely  the  others  besides. 

When  they  entered  the  camp  they  seemed  to  be 
laboring  under  some  excitement;  but  Bumpus  had 
warned  Smithy  not  to  give  their  secret  away  imme- 
diately. 

"Well,  what  luck  did  you  have,  boys  ?"  asked  the 
stout  lad,  as  one  and  then  another  of  the  six  filed 
past  him  to  the  vicinity  of  the  fire. 

"We  cornered  one  of  the  precious  pair  down  at 
the  extreme  end  of  the  island,"  acknowledged  Gi- 
raffe; "but  George  gave  us  the  slip  somehow.  We 
figured  he  must  have  hid  in  a  hemlock  top,  and 
after  we  passed  come  on  up  here ;  and  since  we  ran 
across  his  trail  not  far  from  camp  some  of  us  be- 
gan to  get  cold  feet  for  fear  that  you  two  might 
have  been  surprised  and  taken  prisoner.  We're  all 


242  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

as  glad  as  hops  to  see  that  was  a  false  alarm,  Bum- 
pus  and  Smithy." 

"But  have  you  seen  anything  of  George?"  asked 
Thad,  who  believed  there  was  something  decidedly 
odd  about  the  way  the  features  of  the  two  guards 
were  working,  as  though  they  might  be  doing  every- 
thing in  their  power  to  conceal  some  secret. 

Of  course  Bumpus  had  by  that  time  reached  the 
limit  of  his  endurance,  especially  since  Smithy  gave 
a  big  yell,  unable  to  hold  in  any  further. 

"Go  and  take  a  look  back  of  the  bushes  there; 
that's  the  answer,  boys !"  Bumpus  remarked,  trying 
to  look  indifferent,  though  really  trembling  all  over 
with  the  joyful  excitement. 

There  was  an  immediate  rush  in  the  quarter 
pointed  out ;  and  then  shouts  that  might  have  easily 
been  heard  at  the  lower  end  of  the  island. 

"Well,  what  d'ye  think  of  that,  now?"  Giraffe 
was  saying,  in  his  usual  boisterous  manner ;  "if  they 
haven't  gone  and  done  it,  capturing  the  long-lost 
George  as  nice  as  you  please!  Yes,  and  there's 
that  old  engineer's  army  coat,  too ;  mebbe  the  judge 
won't  be  glad  to  get  that  keepsake  back  again !" 

Thad  was  especially  well  pleased.  Of  course  this 
was  partly  on  account  of  having  finally  accom- 
plished the  task  that  had  been  set  before  him,  be- 
cause he  always  felt  satisfied  when  he  could  look 
back  to  duty  well  done. 

Besides,  he  fairly  gloried  in  the  fact  that  the  two 
tenderfeet  of  the  patrol,  as  they  might  still  be 
called,  had  succeeded  in  covering  themselves  with 
honor  in  having  captured  the  second  desperate  ras- 
cal. 


The  first  thing  Thad  did  was  to  stand  the  tramp 
up,  remove  his  bonds,  and  make  him  strip  off  the 
blue  coat  that  had  once  kept  the  judge's  son  warm 
while  serving  Uncle  Sam  during  our  late  war  with 
Spain,  after  which  he  saw  to  it  that  George  had  his 
hands  bound  again. 

Two  of  the  boys  were  dispatched  along  the  shore, 
where  the  walking  was  better,  to  bring  back  the 
other  prisoner.  To  another  pair  was  given  the  task 
of  setting  up  a  pole  on  an  elevated  part  of  the 
island,  bearing  a  white  flag,  which,  if  seen  by  any- 
one on  the  distant  shore,  might  be  the  means  of 
bringing  a  boat  to  the  rescue  of  the  marooned  ones. 

Meanwhile  Thad  investigated,  and  found  that 
apparently  George  had  had  no  suspicion  that  there 
was  anything  sewed  inside  the  red  lining  of  the 
army  coat  given  to  him  by  Mrs.  Whittaker.  Feel- 
ing carefully  along  the  sides,  Thad  discovered  that 
at  a  certain  place  there  seemed  to  be  something 
nestled ;  and  when  he  held  the  garment  close  to  his 
ear  he  was  able  to  catch  a  slight  rustling  sound  when 
he  bent  it  back  and  forth;  so  he  concluded  the  pa- 
per must  be  safe. 

There  was  enough  of  the  bacon  and  other  things 
left,  it  happened,  to  give  them  a  scanty  feed  at 
noon;  and  they  had  high  hopes  that  before  another 
night  came  the  conditions  would  be  vastly  improved. 

This  confidence  proved  well  founded,  for  along 
about  three  o'clock  Giraffe,  who  had  set  himself  to 
be  the  lookout,  came  running  into  camp  with  the 
cheering  news  that  two  boats  were  coming  from 
the  shore,  and  that  the  period  of  their  captivity  on 
the  island  had  reached  its  end. 


244  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

It  turned  out  that  those  rowing  the  boats  were 
men  who  had  been  sent  out  by  the  authorities  ta 
look  for  any  families  in  distress  because  of  the  flood 
in  the  Susquehanna  region.  There  was  ample  room 
aboard  for  the  eight  scouts,  as  well  as  their  two 
prisoners ;  and  in  due  time  they  landed  on  the  bank, 
overjoyed  to  know  that  not  only  were  they  free 
•once  more,  but  that  their  principal  object  in  making 
this  long  hike  had  been  handsomely  accomplished. 

Giraffe  and  Bumpus  shook  hands  solemnly  when 
the  fact  was  mentioned  that  they  had  been  invited  to 
stay  over  at  a  neighboring  farmhouse,  where  they 
could  obtain  a  bountiful  supper  and  sleep  in  the 
barn.  That  meant  supreme  happiness  to  the  lengthy 
and  the  stout  members  of  the  patrol,  the  "fat  and 
the  lean  of  it,"  as  Giraffe  himself  would  say. 

Thad  was  careful  to  see  that  the  two  tramps  were 
handed  over  to  the  authorities.  All  the  evidence 
needed  to  convict  them  of  the  robbery  of  the  Bailey 
home  was  discovered  on  their  persons,  for  they  had 
been  tempted  to  take  several  little  valuable  bits  of 
jewelry  that  fastened  the  crime  on  them  when  found 
in  their  pockets. 

He  felt  that  they  were  well  rid  of  the  rascals 
when  the  two  men  were  led  away;  nor  did  any  of 
the  scouts  ever  set  eyes  on  Wandering  George  or 
his  companion  again. 

Since  all  of  the  patrol  were  exceedingly  tired,  it 
can  safely  be  assumed  that  they  slept  soundly  on 
that  night.  The  hay  was  sweet;  they  had  been 
given  a  bountiful  supper,  such  as  only  farmers' 
•wives  know  how  to  spread  before  guests ;  and  Bum- 
pus  had  done  himself  proud  when  called  upon  to 


ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA         245> 

entertain  their  host's  family  with  a  number  of  fa- 
vorite songs,  as  well  as  by  the  dexterous  use  of  his:, 
bugle,  upon  which  he  dearly  loved  to  play,  and  with 
considerable  effect. 

When  another  day  dawned  the  boys  were  given 
a  breakfast  they  would  not  soon  forget,  nor  would 
the  kind  lady  accept  a  single  cent  in  payment  for 
the  same,  declaring  that  she  and  her  family  had 
enjoyed  having  the  scouts  remain  a  night  with  them, 
and  that  they  had  learned  a  thousand  things  about 
their  work  such  as  they  had  long  been  wishing  to 
know. 

The  homeward  march  was  begun;  and  as  time 
was  passing  rapidly  now,  Thad  thought  it  only  right 
they  should  take  advantage  of  the  fact  that  a  trol- 
ley covered  a  considerable  number  of  miles  between 
Cranford  and  the  point  they  were  at.  None  of  them 
objected  to  this  means  of  lightening  their  labors, 
for  several  among  the  scouts  had  complained  that 
their  feet  were  beginning  to  swell  and  pain  them. 

By  clever  work  they  managed  to  arrive  home  that 
same  evening,  pleased  with  their  last  adventure. 
Its  successful  termination  would  long  be  a  source 
of  gratification  to  those  who  had  participated  in  the 
chase  after  Wandering  George  and  the  blue  army 
overcoat  that  the  judge  wanted  to  keep  "in  memory 
of  his  son." 

Thad  could  not  wait  for  morning  to  come,  but 
immediately  after  supper  he  took  the  coat,  once 
more  brushed  clean,  over  his  arm,  and  set  out  for 
the  home  of  old  Judge  Whittaker.  When  he  was 
ushered  into  the  library,  and  the  eminent  jurist  saw 


246  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

what  he  was  carrying,  he  expressed  himself  pleased 
in  no  uncertain  tones. 

As  the  good  lady  of  the  house  happened  to  be 
out  at  a  neighbor's  just  then,  the  judge  did  not 
hesitate  to  rip  open  the  lining  of  the  coat,  and  then 
triumphantly  extract  a  thin  paper,  which  he  seemed 
to  prize  exceedingly. 

He  declared  that  he  was  under  great  obligations 
to  the  scouts,  and  expressed  an  earnest  desire  to  do 
something  grand  for  the  troop;  but  of  course  Thad 
was  compelled  to  decline,  assuring  him  they  had  en- 
joyed the  little  adventure  greatly,  and  that  at  any 
rate  the  rules  of  their  organization  would  prevent 
<Jiem  from  accepting  any  pay  for  such  a  service. 

Thad  and  his  friends  were  looking  forward  to 
another  outing  in  the  woods  during  the  coming 
summer,  and  expected  to  have  a  delightful  time. 
None  of  them,  however,  so  much  as  suspected  what 
a  strange  turn  of  fortune  would  alter  their  plans, 
3.nd  allow  some  of  the  scouts  to  visit  foreign  lands 
while  the  greatest  war  in  the  history  of  the  whole 
world  was  breaking  out. 


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THE  BOY  TROOPERS  ON  THE  TRAIL 
THE  BOY  TROOPERS  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 
THE  BOY  TROOPERS  ON  STRIKE  DUTY 
THE  BOY  TROOPERS  AMONG  THE  WILD 
MOUNTAINEERS 


For  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  sent  on  receipt  of  price  by  the  Publishers 

A.  L.  BURT  COMPANY,  114-120  E.  23d  St.,  NEW  YORK 


Boys  of  the  Royal 
Mounted  Police  Series 

By  MILTON   RICHARDS 

A  new  series  of  stories  of  Adventure 
in  the  North  Woods 

For  Boys  12  to  16  Years 
Handsome  Cloth  Binding 

DICK  KENT  WITH  THE  MOUNTED 
POLICE 

Dick  and  his  friend  Sandy  meet  with  ambush  and  des- 
perate hand-to-hand  encounters  while  on  a  dangerous 
mission  with  the  Canadian  Mounted  Police. 

DICK  KENT  IN  THE  FAR  NORTH 

Outwitting  the  notorious  outlaw  "Bear"  Henderson 
with  the  help  of  Malemute  Slade,  the  two  boys  dis- 
cover the  secret  of  a  lost  gold  mine. 

DICK  KENT  WITH  THE  ESKIMOS 

In  their  search,  with  the  mounted  police,  for  an 
escaped  murderer,  Dick  and  Sandy  have  thrilling 
experiences  with  ice  floes  and  animals  in  the  Arctic. 

DICK  KENT,  FUR  TRADER 

On  the  trail  with  Corporal  Rand,  Dick  Kent  and  his 
two  associates  unravel  the  mystery  of  the  fur  thieves. 

DICK  KENT  WITH  THE  MALEMUTE 
MAIL 

Entrusted  with  the  vaccine  for  an  isolated  trading 
post,  Dick  and  his  friends  win  through  in  spite  of 
incredible  difficulties. 

DICK  KENT  ON  SPECIAL  DUTY 

Corporal  Rand  and  his  young  recruits  solve  a  mystery 
and  find  a  hidden  treasure. 


A.  L.  BURT  COMPANY,  Publishers, 
114-120  EAST  23rd  STREET  NEW  YORK 


The  Boy  Allies 

(Registered  in  the  United  States 
Patent  Office) 

With  the  Navy 

BY 
ENSIGN  ROBERT  L.  DRAKE 


For  Boys  12  to  16  Years. 
All  Cloth  Bound       Copyright  Titles 

PRICE,  50  CENTS  EACH 
Postage  lOc  Extra 


Frank  Chadwick  and  Jack  Templeton,  young  American  lads, 
meet  each  other  in  an  unusual  way  soon  after  the  declaration 
of  war.  Circumstances  place  them  on  board  the  British  cruiser, 
"The  Sylph,"  and  from  there  on,  they  share  adventures  with 
the  sailors  of  the  Allies.  Ensign  Robert  L.  Drake,  the  author, 
is  an  experienced  naval  officer,  and  he  describes  admirably  the 
many  exciting  adventures  of  the  two  boys. 

THE  BOY  ALLIES  ON  THE  NORTH  SEA  PATROL;  or,  Strik* 
ing  the  First  Blow  at  the  German  Fleet. 

THE    BOY    ALLIES    UNDER    TWO    FLAGS;    or,    Sweeping    the 
Enemy  from  the   Sea. 

THE  BOY  ALLIES  WITH  THE  FLYING  SQUADRON;   or,  The 
Naval  Raiders  of  the  Great  War. 

THE   BOY   ALLIES    WITH   THE    TERROR   OF    THE    SEA;    or, 

The  Last   Shot  of   Submarine  D-16. 

THE    BOY    ALLIES    UNDER    THE    SEA;    or,    The    Vanishing 
Submarine. 

THE   BOY   ALLIES   IN    THE   BALTIC;    or,    Through    Fields    of 
Ice  to  Aid  the  Czar. 

THE    BOY    ALLIES    AT    JUTLAND;    or,    The    Greatest    Naval 
Battle  of  History. 

THE  BOY  ALLIES  WITH  UNCLE  SAM'S  CRUISERS;   or,  Con- 
Toying  the  American  Army  Across  the  Atlantic. 

THE   BOY    ALLIES    WITH    THE    SUBMARINE    D-32 ;    or,    Th* 
Fall  of  the  Russian  Empire. 

THB    BOY    ALLIES    WITH    THE    VICTORIOUS    FLEETS;    or 
The  Fall  of  the  German  Navy. 


For  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  sent  on  receipt  of  price  by  the  Publishers 

A.  L.  BURT  COMPANY,  114-120  E.  23d  St.,  NEW  YORK 


The  Boy  Allies 

(Registered     in      the     United     States 
Patent   Office) 

With  the  Army 

BY  CLAIR  W.  HAYES 


For  Boys  12  to  16  Years. 
All  Cloth  Bound      Copyright  Titles 


In  this  series  we  follow  the  fortunes  of  two  American  lads 
unable  to  leave  Europe  after  war  is  declared.  They  meet  the 
soldiers  of  the  Allies,  and  decide  to  oast  their  lot  with  them. 
Their  experiences  and  escapes  are  many,  and  furnish  plenty  of 
good,  healthy  action  that  every  boy  loves. 

THE  BOY  ALLIES  AT  LIEGE;  or,  Through  Lines  of  Steel. 
THE  BOY  ALLIES  ON  THE   FIRING  LINE;  or,  Twelve  Days' 

Battle  Along  the  Marne. 
THE  BOY  ALLIES  WITH  THE  COSSACKS;  or,  A  Wild  Dash 

Over  the  Carpathians. 
THE  BOY  ALLIES  IN   THE  TRENCHES;  or,  Midst  Shot  and 

Shell  Along  the  Aisne. 
THE   BOY   ALLIES   IN   GREAT   PERIL;   or,   With   the   Italian 

Army  in  the  Alps. 
THE    BOY    ALLIES   IN   THE    BALKAN   CAMPAIGN;   or,  The 

Struggle  to  Save  a  Nation. 
THE  BOY  ALLIES  ON  THE  SOMME;  or,  Courage  and  Bravery 

Rewarded. 
THE  BOY  ALLIES  AT  VERDUN;  or,  Saving  France  from  the 

Enemy. 
THE   BOY  ALLIES  UNDER  THE  STARS  AND  STRIPES;  or, 

Leading  the  American  Troops  to  the  Firing  Line. 
THE    BOY    ALLIES    WITH    HAIG    IN    FLANDERS;    or,    The 

Fighting  Canadians  of   Vimy  Ridge. 
THE   BOY  ALLIES   WITH    PERSHING   IN   FRANCE;  OP,  Over 

the  Top  at  Chateau  Thierry. 
THE  BOY  ALLIES  WITH   MARSHAL  FOCH;  or,  The  Closing 

Days  of  the  Great  World  War. 


For  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  sent  on  receipt  of  price  by  the 
Publishers 

A.  L.  BURT  COMPANY 

114-120  EAST  23d  STREET  NEW  YORK 


Series 


BY  L.  P.  WYMAN,  PH.D. 

Dean  of  Pennsylvania  Military  College. 

A  new  series  of  instructive  copyright  stories  for 
boys  of  High  School  Age. 

Handsome  Cloth  Binding. 
PRICE,  50  CENTS  EACH 

POSTAGE  lOc  EXTRA 


THE 

THE 
THE 
THE 
THE 
THE 

THE 
THE 
THE 

THE 


GOLDEN 
CELL 

GOLDEN 
GOLDEN 
GOLDEN 
GOLDEN 

GOLDEN 
GASH 

GOLDEN 
GOLDEN 

GOLDEN 
DAM 

GOLDEN 


BOYS  AND  THEIR  NEW  ELECTRIC 

BOYS  AT  THE  FORTRESS 
BOYS  IN  THE  MAINE  WOODS 
BOYS  WITH  THE  LUMBER  JACKS 
BOYS  RESCUED  BY  RADIO 
BOYS  ALONG  THE  RIVER  ALLA- 

BOYS  AT  THE  HAUNTED  CAMP 
BOYS  ON  THE  RIVER  DRIVE 
BOYS  SAVE  THE  CHAMBERLAIN 

BOYS  ON  THE  TRAIL 


For  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  sent  on  receipt  of  price  by  the  Publishers 

A.  L.  BURT  COMPANY,  114-120  E.  23d  St.,  NEW  YORK 


THE 

HUNNIWELL  BOYS 
SERIES 

By  L.  P.  WYMAN 

Author  of  "The  Golden  Boys"  and 
"The  Lakewood  Boys"  Series 

Bill  and  Gordon  Hunniwell,  two  enterprising 
and  inventive  young  Americans,  have  many  thrill- 
ing experiences  far  above  the  clouds  in  the 
"Albatross,"  their  new  electric  airplane.  Their 
adventures  with  the  Secret  Service  and  narrow 
escapes  in  the  fog,  when  searching  for  the  lost  Ger- 
man aviators,  are  admirably  described  in  this  new 
series. 


THE  HUNNIWELL  BOYS  IN  THE  AIR 
THE  HUNNIWELL  BOYS'  VICTORY 

THE  HUNNIWELL  BOYS  IN  THE  SECRET 
SERVICE 

THE  HUNNIWELL  BOYS  AND  THE  PLATI- 
NUM MYSTERY 

THE  HUNNIWELL  BOYS'  LONGEST  FLIGHT 
A.  L.  BURT  COMPANY,  Publishers 

114-120  EAST  23d  STREET  NEW  YORK 


The  Jack 
Lorimer  Series 

BY  WINN  STANDISH 


For  Boys  12  to  16  Years. 
All  Cloth  Bound      Copyright  Titles 

PRICE,  50  CENTS  EACH 
Postage  lOc.  Extra 


CAPTAIN  JACK  LORIMER;   or,  The  Young  Athlete  of  Millvale 
High. 

Jack  Lorimer  is  a  fine  example  of  the  all-around  Amer- 
ican high-school  boys.  His  fondness  for  clean,  honest  sport 
of  all  kinds  will  strike  a  chord  of  sympathy  among  athletic 
youths. 

JACK  LORIMER'S  CHAMPIONS ;  or,  Sports  on  Land  and  Lak«* 

There  is  a  lively  story  woven  in  with  the  athletic  achieve* 
ments,  which  are  all  right,  since  the  book  has  been  O.  K'd. 
by  Chadwick,  the  Nestor  of  American  Sporting  journalism. 

JACK   LORIMEir.S  HOLIDAYS;   or,  Millvale  High  in   Camp. 

It  would  be  well  not  to  put  this  book  into  a  boy's  hands 
until  the  chores  are  finished,  otherwise  they  might  be 
neglected. 

JACK   LORIMER'S    SUBSTITUTE;    or,   The   Acting    Captain   of 
the  Team. 

On  the  sporting  side,  this  book  takes  up  football,  wrestling, 
and  tobogganing.  There  is  a  good  deal  of  fun  in  this  book 
and  plenty  of  action. 

JACK    LORIMER,    FRESHMAN;    or,    From    Mill  vale    High    to 
Bxmouth. 

Jack  and  some  friends  he  makes  crowd  innumerable  hap- 
penings into  an  exciting  freshman  year  at  one  of  the  lead- 
ing Eastern  colleges.  The  book  is  typical  of  the  American 
college  boy's  life,  and  there  is  a  lively  story,  interwoven 
with  feats  on  the  gridiron,  hockey,  basketball  and  other 
clean  honest  sports  for  which  Jack  Lorimer  stands. 


For  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  sent  on  receipt  of  price  by  the  Publishers 

A.  L.  BURT  COMPANY,  114-120  E.  23d  St.,  NEW  YORK 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

405  Hilgard  Avenue,  Los  Angeles,  CA  90024-1388 

Return  this  material  to  the  library 

from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


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